Hoodwinked
by PinaGrin
Summary: Hibari Kyouya knows himself as an assassin and finds comfort in his job, because killing is what he understands and does best. However, when he realizes that his next mission isn't another cold murder but is actually something quite the opposite, his black and white life is confronted with the values of protection, passion, and love. AU 1827
1. Chapter 1

Hello, hello! Here are some heads up notes to keep in mind as you read this:

This is _shounen-ai_, so if you want to hate me, you can hate me for anything but this.

This is AU. Although this takes place in Japan and all that, this story has nothing to do with the original plotline. However, some aspects are the same, such as the usage of flames, Tsuna's reputation, and whatnot. You get the idea.

_Important: _the design of this story would have never come up if I didn't watch _Darker than Black_. I believe I should give it credit. People who have watched _Darker than Black _will find similar themes in this story. There isn't enough connection to make this a crossover, so a disclaimer here – there are more to this story than just the characters that are not mine.

There will be some minor pairings, especially 8059, some 6918, I might add more.

Age wise, Tsuna is 16. Hibari will be 17, even though he's supposed to be 2 years older (I think?). I hope no one minds. Actually, no one will be following the original age.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Katekyo Hitman Reborn_, nor do I own some of the themes in this story that have a relation to _Darker than Black_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

A corpse at his feet.

A pair of tonfas in his hands.

And a thin, black choker clung at his pale throat.

Raven hair fluttered against his hollow cheeks, and steel-gray eyes regarded his surroundings with a dead stare. His stark white skin was sick in its color, bony fingers clawed around metal, and his clothes soaked into his body as the sky continued to drizzle down rain. Hands, clammy with precipitation and his own sweat, released the clutch he had upon his old and overused weapon. It slipped and clattered onto the concrete ground, producing a dull clang and a miniscule splash. Shoes squelching, he bent down, nails biting into his victim as he fumbled for what he needed. The warmth was quickly seeping out of the lifeless form before him, but the accessories around the knuckles were colder. Once he found his target, he gripped and pulled off each piece with swift, robotic movements. They clanked together in his palm as he slid them into his pocket.

With that, he was done. One murder. Four rings stolen. His boss was probably impatiently waiting for him at the hotel.

And without a second thought, he retrieved his tonfas, straightened his legs, and walked away.

* * *

"You look like shit."

Water was everywhere. In the hallway, on the carpet, and splattered against the wall. A young man stumbled forward, shaking off his shoes.

"Why are you here?" he growled as he removed his drenched jacket. It fell onto the floor and curled up into a pathetic heap of cloth. He didn't have the time to worry about it now. Someone was standing in his room, and he needed to be dealt with first.

He hated him. It was a fact that he hated his boss, but he hated this man even more. Mismatched eyes that paired up with a ridiculous hairstyle, he just couldn't stand him. Arrogance oozed out through his every pore, his gestures were always tainted with smugness, and the way he pranced around painted himself a picture of royalty as if he owned the world. His smiles, expressions, the way he conducted himself – _everything_ – was annoying. He was just asking for a biting.

"Don't worry, I have a reason this time," he smirked. "I'm here to collect the rings and to report your next mission."

The raven-haired man came forward, loosening his tie with one hand while rummaging through his pocket with the other. Then he dropped the rings into the other's ownership.

_Clink. Clink. Clank. Clink. _Four rings.

The taller man gave another smirk. "A perfect job as usual, as expected of Hibari Kyouya."

"Who's next?" the skylark snapped, asking for the next kill. He didn't want to prolong the conversation any longer. Just looking at those mismatched eyes made him irritated.

He let out a dramatic sigh. "A high school student. Poor kid, really, to be looked after by you. His name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, but he goes by Tsuna."

"When is it due?"

The taller man's smile grew wider, but he gave no audible answer.

"When do I have to kill him?" the skylark asked again, agitated.

"Kufufu…when did I ever say that it was an assassination?" his voice was becoming exceedingly amused.

The skylark glowered. "What?"

"You're _looking after _him, birdie. Until the Arcobaleno say that 'Sawada Tsunayoshi is useless', you can't lay a finger."

The raven-haired man paused. "This isn't my job. The Arcobaleno have more candidates. Tell them that."

In response, the other man shrugged playfully. "Are you asking Dino to back you up again? Too bad, Hibari-kun, he's already occupied with something else."

"Dino was never part of this," the skylark snarled.

There was a breakout of mocking chuckles. "It doesn't matter, does it? An order is an order. You can't defy the law."

"Where are the documents?" Hibari Kyouya said, tone clipped and acidic, as he took off his tie in one smooth motion, followed by his thumb fingering downwards to undo the top two buttons near his collar.

"On the nightstand."

A flicker of indigo flames. An alien touch against his collarbones. Someone was too close.

The skylark didn't have time to react. A brief scent of pineapples wafted over him. Hair that was not his flew into his face and tickled his ear. Instinctively, Hibari tensed and tried to step away, but an arm caught the back of his neck before he could do so. He could feel flames dancing against his skin, but they did not scorch; rather, it was icy, mysterious, and uncomfortable. He wanted to shy away but forced himself to stay still. Showing weakness was forbidden.

"You better keep your choker hidden, Kyouya," fingers went back to caress his collarbones, and then skated upwards to tantalize the ornament that clasped tightly against his skin, "or else you'll get caught. And you know what happens if you do."

The mismatched eyes moved in closer, and foreign lips were only two inches from contact. The skylark couldn't take it anymore. He brought out his tonfas and swung them forward; however, there was no impact. A large burst of flames exploded right in his face, and the temperature of the room dropped slightly. In the distance, he could hear a small snicker, and the flames dissipated through the floor below him. Rokudo Mukuro left in a flash as always.

The skylark cursed as he put his tonfas away. "He needs to be bitten to death."

Then suddenly, it hit him. He was cold. And he was tired. He had just come back from the rain and from a _normal _mission that got him a heavy bruise along the outside of his thigh. Taking a shower and sleep sounded like a good idea to him, so the skylark turned around, picked up his sopping jacket, and retrieved a pair of silk pajamas before he entered the bathroom.

He was afraid to look in the mirror. He had been afraid to look in the mirror for a while now, but he did, anyway. The skylark's number one rule: always deny fear. Face it. Always. So he looked.

He was pale. Deathly pale. And just like Mukuro had said, he looked like shit. The storm outside didn't help him much either. His wet hair was matted against his face, curling under his jaw and creeping up to his eyes. Skin stretched against his prominent cheekbones as if there wasn't enough to go around, and dark blue shadows lined up under his eyelid margins. He looked sick. He _was _sick. Why? He didn't know. The coughing started a month ago, the paleness following, and then the weight loss.

But there was no hospital for him.

Not when he was a flame-user. Doctors despised flame-users. _Everyone_ despised flame-users. They weren't allowed in hospitals, because the world was terrified by them. They were stronger, intimidating, and powerful, so the world despised them. The humans were scared, scared that they would be taken over and thrown away like trash. So they acted first; before anything could start, the _humans _threw away the flame-users.

And through the course of a generation, those who could wield a flame fled and hid from persecution.

However, it was true that Hibari Kyouya could ask for treatment from the Arcobaleno. To them, it didn't matter if he could play with fire. As long as he did his job and his missions, nothing mattered. But he didn't have the credit. His damn boss was just too lazy to scrawl on and sign a paper to let him get treated. With the position he held as an agent, his label meant that he was only a pawn. He wasn't a necessity; so therefore, treatment wasn't a necessity.

The skylark slipped out of his clothes and turned on the shower. When he finally reached the warmth to comfort his body, he wondered why he had been assigned to such a mission – to protect, to keep safe, to shield from danger. It was the complete opposite of what he had always been doing. What happened to his _target_? What happened to the life that he was supposed to _steal_? He was no bodyguard. He was a murderer, and it made sense that taking on a job like this was a mistake.

Maybe they were trying to expand his horizons. However, maybe _someone_ would realize that killing, for him, was obviously _better._ Maybe after a few days, his boss would realize that he gave the documents to the wrong person. Maybe.

And speaking of documents, Hibari needed to read those before he slept.

The shower suddenly turned chilly as the skylark began to rotate the handle to shut it off. He snatched a towel from the side, quickly dried himself, and took one last glance at the mirror.

There was a slight difference. Possibly a little more color in his skin, but it didn't change the fact that his ribs were showing or that his lips were retracting from the typical pinkish color to an unhealthy purple. Involuntarily, he coughed, and no more than a few seconds later, his mouth opened to spit out mucus into the sink.

He was sick, but he didn't want to think about it anymore; so he grabbed a dry set of garments and put them on, craving for sleep.

* * *

Sawada Tsunayoshi wished that people would know him as Tsuna. However, no one heeded to that wish. To those around him, Sawada Tsunayoshi was not Tsuna but _Dame_-Tsuna, and he absolutely hated it. But in all honesty, he didn't have the right to defend himself, because the nickname truly summed up what he really was – a loser, a failure, and unworthy.

His academic abilities were far below the average person, and to add on to his incompetence, he was a terrible athlete. If he didn't have the brains, why couldn't he have the body? Life was just so unfair. He didn't have the greatest appearance either. He was a guy, but people called him _cute_. He was far from the ideal image of masculine, and he could barely get a word out whenever he met a girl. He was also frequently beaten and picked on by bullies. They threatened him for money, kicked him to get joy out of it, and humiliated him in public whenever they had the chance.

Tsuna wanted to be someone different. He wanted to be strong and intelligent. He wanted to be liked and popular. He wanted to be accepted. But to add just one more thing on top of his incapability, Tsuna was _scared. _He wasn't like those characters in the movies or the manga books he read. Some of them were losers just like him, but they had the courage to change. They all eventually became the person they wanted to be, but Tsuna just knew that he was bound to fail, because he didn't have the bravery or the determination to do anything.

He sighed and looked out the window beside him. It seemed like the only good thing he had was this back row window seat. He was drowning in pessimism.

"Sawada!"

Tsuna jumped.

"What's the answer to this question?"

He blanched. Of course he didn't know. He never answered a problem right; everyone knew that, even the teacher, but he just loved to call on him _because _he would get it wrong.

"27?"

The class laughed.

"Incorrect. Sawada, make sure you come see me during lunch."

There were a few more giggles.

Tsuna inwardly groaned. He just wanted to go home. School was so pointless for him. He never got good grades, he didn't participate in after-school clubs, nor did he have any friends. What was the meaning of coming here every morning if all he got from it was to be continuously reminded of his stupidity?

The lesson passed faster than usual, and when the bell rang, the students left to head for lunch. A few of them snickered at him as they exited. Doing his best to ignore them, Tsuna cleared up his materials from his desk and eventually trudged up to the front of the room to confront his doom. With his head bowed, he waited for the teacher's daily scolding.

The teacher began with an irritated exhalation. "Sawada, we've been through this more than enough. How many times do I have to give you a pep talk? You're not making any progress! Look at your brother, he's just like you, but he _tries_. Why can't you learn from him?"

"Yes, sensei. I'll do my best," he replied, which was what he said every time.

The teacher gave Tsuna an frosty glare. "If you're not improving within the next two weeks, then I'm going to have to call your parents, you got that?"

"W-what?" the brunet stuttered. Panic began rising up against his chest. "No, please don't! Please."

"Then you better start studying, Sawada," the teacher snapped unsympathetically. "You have an algebra test next Friday. Start by at least passing it."

He wanted to groan again. Improve? That was impossible. He couldn't do anything good. How could he improve? Maybe dropping out of school would be a better idea after all. He wouldn't have to keep dealing with this.

Once the teacher dismissed him, Tsuna began to walk towards the classroom door. It was time to get his lunch, and of course, he would be eating alone. He needed to find a better hiding place than the bathroom to avoid getting bullied. However, before he took a step out, his ears caught the hushed conversation of two lingering students.

"He's got to be one. We have to get to him before the others do."

Silver hair, the harsh and biting voice, Tsuna could tell immediately that it was class-known delinquent Gokudera Hayato.

"Maa, calm down. I think he's already taken. His clothing was really defensive. He might have a choker."

Cheery and laid back, the other was surely Yamamoto Takeshi, the school's baseball celebrity.

This was a combination that Tsuna didn't quite understand. Although the delinquent tried to hide it, everyone knew that Gokudera and Yamamoto were friends. They always had secret-after-class meetings as if they were planning for something. It was strange. The two of them were like opposites of each other: Gokudera was a ticking bomb, always in high tempers and never calm, and Yamamoto always had a smile on his face that could warm up anyone. Yet strangely, it seemed like they were always together.

"Can you fucking move?"

"Eiii! I'm sorry!" Tsuna yelped as he scrambled to get out of the way.

He could smell cigarettes as the silver-haired man passed. The baseball celebrity was right behind him and acknowledged Tsuna with a smile. As always.

When they disappeared, Tsuna breathed out, relieved. He was glad that Gokudera didn't punch him in the gut or something. He was so scary.

The brunet calmed himself down completely before he stepped out into the hallway. Maybe he should try the garden today. He had been caught there by the bullies before, but if he went there again, they wouldn't suspect it, right?

Making up his mind, he straightened and headed outside, grabbing his lunch before he did so.

On the other hand, his younger brother was probably surrounded by people. He had friends. He was better. He worked hard and could pass his tests while Tsuna couldn't. The teachers always compared them to each other, because they were similar yet so different at the same time. His brother stuttered his words, too, was taunted by bullies, and had below average rates in intellect and athleticism. But he had companions, motivation, and everything else that Tsuna needed to change.

Frustrated, he stabbed his bento with a pair of chopsticks. Was he even gifted with anything? He didn't own anything useful. He wanted to be strong, a different person.

_…Even owning a flame would be better than this_, Tsuna dared to hope.

"Onii-san!" there was a shriek. "Onii-san!"

The brunet looked up and nearly dropped his lunch as he caught the scene before him.

It was Mochida. _Again_. Captain of his school's kendo club tailed by plenty of his followers. Why did he love bullying so much? What was wrong with living a life without bothering others? And why did he have to stoop so low as to take Tsuna's own little brother as hostage? One of his muscular arms was wrapped around a small body, right below the chin, and the other pinned two frail limbs against his captive's back.

"Onii-san, I'm so sorry."

Hands shaking, the brunet removed the bento from his lap and stood up. Across from him was his brother; the younger brother who was better than him and praised more than him. He stared at red hair and at same-colored eyes. A Band-Aid was stuck across the bride of his nose, and scarred fingers clutched the steel arm that circled him. Tsuna took a deep breath and tried to steady his wobbly knees. "L-let him go."

Kensuke Mochida laughed. "Why should I? You're the one who hid from me, so I had to ask your little brother to tell me where you were."

Tsuna's eyes flickered towards his sibling. His crimson eyes returned back an apologetic stare.

"What do you w-want?"

The kendo captain grinned. "I already spent all the money you gave me yesterday. Hand over your wallet."

The brunet complied without a thought. What else could he do? Fight back? That was an act of suicide.

So slowly, he reached into his pocket and inched forward. Once he was close he enough, he took out his wallet and handed it over. Mochida ordered one his lackeys to count the money.

Mochida scoffed. "Only six-hundred yen? Are you kidding me?"

Tsuna's palms began to sweat. "I-I don't have anything else."

The captain growled. "Are you asking for a beating?"

"Eeiii, no!"

"I'll give you a day. You better get me five thousand, or else you're in for it, Dame-Tsuna."

Mochida spat, released his hold upon his victim, and roughly shoved him forward. The boy fell forward and tumbled into Tsuna.

"Let's go, guys. I guess we'll just have to leave the fun until tomorrow."

* * *

Mores notes:

Yes, Tsuna's younger brother is Enma Kozato if I didn't make it very clear.

They are of the same year, so twins technically, but Enma was adopted into the family.

Those few who have read Shut Inside, you might be thinking, "Hibari is hurt _again_?"

Don't worry, this story is very different, repetition will be minuscule.

Thanks for reading! (reviews are appreciated :D)


	2. Chapter 2

After sifting through the general plotline of this story, I am happy to say that there will be NO OCs. Yay! I know how much readers hate OCs, but I always end up having to put in a few to fill in parts. Good news? :D

**To Kuro: **Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad that someone likes my story, haha.

**EDIT (6/30/12): NAMES FIXED**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Katekyo Hitman Reborn_, nor do I own some of the themes in this story that have a relation to _Darker than Black_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The carpet was still damp from yesterday.

Scratchy fibers clamped against the soles of his feet as he slipped out of his shoes. The feeling was unsettling; what he couldn't see snagged onto his skin, only letting go when he took a step. Hibari Kyouya wanted to be alone, undisturbed, and at peace with just one person – himself. The floor had no right to bother him. He had suffered enough crowding for the day. He deserved isolation.

The skylark trudged towards the left side of the hotel room. A short nap sounded nice as he neared a kempt queen-sized bed. Gracefully, he placed himself against intricately decorated pillows, swung his legs upon the sheets, and rested his shoulders against the headboard.

_Ridiculous. Just ridiculous…a bunch of herbivores. _

To release all his anger in only a few words was impossible, but it was for sure that he did not have a very pleasant day. Immature teenagers and obnoxious teachers, why did he have to deal with all this? He was already missing his daily kill. He enjoyed it. It was quiet, swift, and thoughtless. This really wasn't his job, definitely not for him.

He was also already frustrated with spying on Sawada Tsunayoshi, the Arcobaleno's subject. No, he was frustrated from the very start. Hibari Kyouya _needed _a target. Without one, he didn't know what he was supposed to do. After all, he was just an agent who carried around a pair of tonfas, murdered those who needed to be murdered, and slept when he had the chance. His role required no talking (maybe a yes or no here and there), no proper association with people, and no need to make and manage relationships. He _specialized _in assassination, and assassination was the only reason why superiors requested for him.

So he was still having thoughts of _why_? Why him? Why not someone else? Why did this happen?

But no one offered answers. No one gave answers to pawns like him. No one gave answers to _sl_av_es _like him. He was marked, tracked, and threatened by the cursed machine that leeched and grappled his throat. One act of disobedience – _snap! _– and he was gone. Because, in all honesty, he didn't matter; just a slave, he didn't matter.

And to further encourage his rising level of resentment, Hibari felt that a number of degrees had dIpped downwards – a certain _pineapple bastard _was very close to appearing in his room. Again. Oh how much he hated him.

"…Were you expecting me?" a cold slither of words was whispered into the skylark's ear.

Hibari repressed a shudder. Mist flames. He loathed them.

The weight upon the mattress shifted. Deep flames licked the blankets, and a cobalt blue-haired man materialized beside the skylark. He was lying on his side with his elbow propped and palm supporting his jaw. Sleek, dark leather clothed his suggestive body form, delicate trinkets surrounded his wrists, and a lightly-colored trident crossed his waist, resting against his right shoulder. A smirk, an air of domination, and an extreme amount of confidence – the way he presented himself was profusely conceited and vain. What was there not to hate?

"To bite you to death, yes," Hibari hissed, struggling to refrain himself from reaching for his tonfas.

"Kufufu…of course," Rokudo Mukuro chuckled. The weight shifted further as he progressively rolled towards the skylark's side. But then he abruptly stopped. "Oya? Did you seriously wear this to school?"

A long finger brushed the lines of Hibari's throat and trickled down to nip at a turtleneck collar. He pulled it down to reveal a black choker.

Mukuro scoffed. "What an amateur. You're horrible as a bodyguard. Did you even read your documents?"

The skylark growled and slapped the offending hand away that was too close to him.

The blue-haired man remained unfazed. "Xanxas should have assigned you an illusionist to cover it up. Did he forget?"

"Xanxas is too much of a lazy asshole to care," Hibari retorted as he made the move to stand. The farther away from the madman, the better.

"Oh?" Mukuro mused and a few seconds afterwards, laughed like he just realized something. "Oya, it was me. _I'm _the assigned illusionist. Why else would Xanxas tell me to hand over the next mission?"

Hibari shot him a glare.

"C'mon, birdie. Next to me," the blue-haired man said, grinning mischievously. He straightened himself to a sitting position and patted the spot beside him. "I can't make it work unless you're close."

"Do you _want_ to get bitten to death?" the skylark seethed, hands twitching.

Mukuro's eyes darkened, suddenly serious. "Do you _want_ to get killed?"

Hibari hesitated. Frankly, he didn't have a smart answer for that, because death was something very plausible for him. He had no firm hold over his own life. Any day, any minute, and any second, the Arcobaleno could just press a button to discard him. It was that simple.

True, he wasn't doing anything wrong right now. He hadn't disobeyed an order since the last time he tried to challenge the punishment system, but pleasing the Arcobaleno wasn't that easy.

There were flame-users who were free, with no leash to hold them back and no life to consistently worry about; typically late-bloomers who found it hard to notice the flame that harbored inside them, taking decades to unleash rather than just a few years. The Arcobaleno's sole purpose in existence was to capture flame-users and use them to do their dirty jobs. However, they were picky. People who were labeled as "useless" were disposed of – killed. People who were good enough had a chance to stay alive living as a dog – a slave.

But there was one thing that the Arcobaleno feared.

Congregation. Grouping.

A mass organization of late-blooming flame-users who had the probable ability to overthrow them.

So essentially, it was a game: two factions competing against each other, betting on which could gather the most men and execute the first attack.

The Arcobaleno's strategy ended up being overpoweringly crushing.

The chokers were the key to their effortless victory.

It didn't matter if the other side managed to steal away a flame-user, because the Arcobaleno could just press a button, and the choker would just snap its owner's neck without a warning. The agents, the dogs, the slaves were ordered to eradicate the opposing team, watch over ignorant late-bloomers to deem him "useless" or "useful", and implant more black chokers onto bare necks themselves. They had it all under their control.

However, the late-bloomers held on, fighting, because they knew that they were the potential heroes. They were the potential heroes that represented the last shred of hope for the agents, the dogs, and the slaves; so that they would be finally liberated from the wicked, black strap that restrained them to direct their own very lives.

It was an awfully risky situation.

The Arcobaleno's agents wanted, yet at the same time, didn't want to get "caught" by the late-bloomers.

They wanted their freedom, but their freedom came with the price of their own lifeline.

Getting "caught" was an act of death, and it was also the only way to gain their right of human privileges.

"I guess you don't want it," Mukuro stated when the skylark made no move to allow the illusionist's invitation.

"I will never accept help from you."

Mukuro sighed. "Fine, but I still have something to give you."

Hibari crossed his arms, waiting.

"Xanxas bought you a house."

The skylark raised an eyebrow, and that was a very big sign of shock coming from him.

"Kufufu, you're still an amateur, birdie. You have a long way to go before you get a promotion." Hibari glared at this. "Bodyguards always get houses, remember? Their missions take a longer amount of time to complete."

Mukuro reached into one of his pockets and threw over a pair of keys at the skylark. "The address is in the documents. You'll be living next to the Tsunayoshi kid. Good luck."

The blue-haired man began to remove himself from the bed, carefully grabbing his trident as he slid off. There was a moment of silence, and he took one last glance at the skylark before he lifted up his weapon to summon his flames.

"I'll be killing him," Hibari said unexpectedly as indigo-colored fire gradually bled through the carpet.

Mukuro paused, face impassive. "Why? Because Tsunayoshi is 'useless'?"

"Yes."

The mismatched eyes flickered, faintly exposing a flash of pity, but the skylark didn't notice. "We'll see."

And the flames engulfed him once more, eating him away as he disappeared.

* * *

Two siblings stood side by side as they awkwardly walked back home. There was a slight tension in the air; one apprehensive of the other like he was nervously anticipating a berating. A redhead incessantly fumbled with his hands as he took anxious glances at his older brother every now and then. A brunet was broiling numerous amounts of questions in mind, marching forward and unable to think of anything else.

"O-onii-san?"

Tsuna was jolted out of his pondering as he was called. "Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry for letting Mochida know where you were."

"I already said that it doesn't matter."

The redhead continued to wring his hands together. "But why are you still mad?"

"I'm not," Tsuna began to argue but then realized that he was frowning, brows furrowing intently. He wasn't mad; he was just confused.

"Oh…" the redhead mumbled, unconvinced.

The older brother loosened his facial muscles. "Sorry, Enma, I just don't understand…"

There was an uncomfortable span of silence as Tsuna unconsciously trailed off.

"Onii-san?"

The brunet abruptly stopped in his tracks, causing the redhead to halt as well. He stared at his younger brother with a concentrated gaze, penetrating and forceful – an expression that didn't come from the typical Dame-Tsuna. "I don't understand how you knew where I was."

Sawada Enma faltered. "W-what?"

"And why aren't you surprised that I wasn't sitting with _anyone_? Why aren't you asking me about –"

"I know, okay?" the redhead interrupted, the volume of his voice rising. He averted his eyes, and his fists were clenched.

Tsuna began to frown again. "You know…what?"

"How can I not know?" Enma protested. "I know that people call you Dame-Tsuna. I know that you hide every day during lunch. I know that you don't have any…friends."

The words stung. Especially when it came from his own brother. And since they were all true, Tsuna didn't know what to say.

"You come home with bruises and scratches, but you say that you fell down the stairs. You tell me that you have friends to sit with during lunch, but you're hiding from Mochida –"

"Stop."

The redhead stiffened, once more uneasy.

Sighing, Tsuna turned and started to continue trudging forward. "C'mon, Enma, let's go home."

* * *

Sawada Tsunayoshi considered his family as a very large mess.

His mother, caring and kind to a fault, took pleasure in adoption, so he held the heavy responsibility of being the oldest amongst five siblings.

I-pin was the youngest, a five year-old girl who got her Japanese and Chinese mixed up when she spoke, followed by Lambo, an annoying, cow-suited Itatlian idiot who constantly craved for candy. The two of them typically made the most noise in the Sawada household, running and chasing each other around as they screamed. Four years older than both of them was Fuuta, a young genius who adored his oldest brother and buried his nose in books. And lastly was Enma, the closest to Tsuna due to his age, even though he was admitted last into the family.

Sawada Nana did not judge Tsuna for his incompetency and he appreciated that; however, although his mother did not scorn him, Tsuna could not help but to judge himself. While it was not directly noted, his family unconsciously expected more from him. They all believed at first that he could do _everything_, but then they would pause, taking a moment of time to remind themselves that they were speaking to _Dame-_Tsuna and not the whoever Tsuna they were picturing. It was strange, and they did so often. Something like, "Oh, Tsu-kun, could you fix the hole in the roof, please?" (yes, it happened before), but a few seconds would pass, and his mother would say, "Oh, never mind." Even Enma, the adopted brother who had no idea what Tsuna was like when they first met, said, "You must be the most popular guy in school."

It was like they knew a _different _Sawada Tsunayoshi, and how much Tsuna wished he was that different Tsuna.

But the one who treated him like this the most was his father, Sawada Iemitsu. He was never home, but when he ever did make one of those rare, occasional visits, Tsuna would dread the day he stepped in the house.

He was overwhelming.

"Tsuna, lift this one-hundred pound weight."

"Tsuna, speak Italian."

"Tsuna, swim fifty meters in twenty seconds."

He didn't understand how his father came up with the idea that he was the most perfect being in the world. He didn't even have the _right _to give an opinion about his son, since he probably only took half a second of his time to ever try to raise him. To put it simply, Tsuna did not like his father very much. In more accurate of words, he hated him.

He always left Nana on her own, never there to support her, never there to help. He didn't deserve her. Not someone as good and fine like her.

"We're home!" Tsuna called out as he took off his shoes. Enma was right behind him, visibly sheepish.

Nana popped her head out from the kitchen entrance, wearing an apron. "Tsu-kun, Enma-kun! How was school?"

"Good," the two boys chorused the usual answer.

She smiled. "Great. Now Tsuna, could you do me a favor?"

"Yes, okaa-san?" the brunet replied, attentive.

"You know how Katoh-san moved out last week? Well, our new neighbor just came in today. Could you take the anpan over and welcome the new family?"

"Sure," Tsuna said as he made way to the kitchen to grab the bread.

"I'll come with you," Enma offered, tone unsure.

The brunet glanced back at him. "Nah, its okay, Enma. I got it."

And he turned away before he could catch the pained expression from his little brother.

No more than a few minutes later, Tsuna was standing in front of a foreign door with a warm, plastic covered plate in his hands. He rang the doorbell twice as he carefully balanced the welcome food in his grasp. He waited, but when no one came to greet him, he knocked and rang again. The door still didn't open.

Shrugging, the brunet bent down and placed the dish on the porch. He supposed he would just have to introduce himself later.

He spun around, smoothing imaginary wrinkles out of his school uniform as he stepped away from his neighbor's house. He raised his head, and then –

"Eeeeii!"

_A ghost!_ Tsuna could swear on his life that it was a ghost. _Aghostaghostaghostaghost – it's a ghost! Eeiii! Someone save me!_

It began to walk forward, and Tsuna could feel his heart beat faster and faster as he feared for his life. He shut his eyes and braced himself for the worst, cringing.

_Slam! _

The brunet started, his bones nearly jumping out of his skin. His eyes opened, but all he saw was the front yard with no creepy, wandering spirit. He wasn't dead either.

Confused, he slowly turned to look behind him, searching.

There was nothing.

No ghost to see.

Tsuna began to relax. Maybe he just imagined it all. Right, of course, there was no such thing as a ghost. He almost laughed at himself.

But when his eyes fell upon the porch, he couldn't help but to notice that the anpan was gone.

So he ran.

* * *

More notes:

Please keep in mind that flame-users still suffer through public discrimination, and that typical flame-users also suffer through the dilemma of being "caught" or remaining enslaved.

Hibari's "boss" is Xanxas. Hibari and Mukuro know each other well, because they have the same boss, so basically, they are teammates.

As for general knowledge, keep in mind that the Arcobaleno splits their agents into three groups: the assassins, the bodyguards, and those who are both. Bodyguards are typically those who are very good at dealing with people, since, well, they have to deal with people so that they can do their job more efficiently. I hope that clarifies Hibari's shock over his new job.

The Arcobaleno's agents can be promoted, as hinted by Mukuro. They have a chance to become a "team leader", and in this case, Xanxas is an example as one. They are treated better that the agents. They are allowed more leeway, they receive an income, etc.

I hope this story isn't too confusing. /: Please ask me questions if you need clarification.

(Again, reviews are appreciated :D)


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, guys, problem here, I'm at a summer camp, so it's really inconvenient to update. Probably the reason this chapter has come out so late. Sorry. /:

**Oops: **I messed up on the names in the previous chapter (although it has been edited). I did not make it so that Enma had the Sawada surname, nor did I do it for the others. It has been fixed.

**To Guest:** Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad this interests you :D

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Katekyo Hitman Reborn_, nor do I own some of the themes in this story that have a relation to _Darker than Black_

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Wide steel-gray eyes stared at the reflection, unbelieving. He imagined this many times before, more than enough that he couldn't keep track of his own wishes. Startled fingers slid and played with skin, carefully touching the portion where his lower neck and shoulder connected. It was smooth, untainted, and free. He caressed his bare throat a few more times before he finally released his hold. It was just so…alien.

But he knew.

Hibari knew that it was still there, yet the visual disappearance was so horribly shocking. The life-threatening mechanism that haunted him ever since he was enslaved had never left him a single time. It was always there clinging, mocking him, and reminding him every second that he had no free will and no opinions. But now it was gone. He couldn't even feel it suffocating his neck. He couldn't even conjure a mental picture to replace the absence.

Rokudo Mukuro had summoned an illusion for him despite the skylark's refusal.

He wanted to be mad. He wanted to be infuriated at the Mist user for ignoring his protest, but he couldn't. In some way, he almost appreciated the disobedience. This once in a lifetime chance to finally live an existence with nothing to bind him down, nothing to hold him back from whatever he did.

He had to continuously remind himself that all this was a lie. It wasn't real. It was an illusion and nothing else. It was to only hide the fact that he was under the authority of the Arcobaleno. That didn't mean he was actually liberated.

However, no matter how many times he repeated this, the disbelief was still overpowering him.

His fingers twitched, yearning to feel his neck again in order to prove himself wrong. It was gone, gone, gone, but it wasn't gone.

He took one last glimpse at the mirror. How many times did he do this already? He couldn't pry his eyes away, and he felt so disgusted in himself for being such in awe with a simple illusion. For someone like him, he wasn't supposed to be attached. Not to anything. He was a person who could only support himself and himself only. Appreciate that Mist bastard's disobedience? What was he thinking?

He tried to regain his composure. Everything was supposed to be placid, black and white, and simple. There was no such thing as a free will to him. It was the philosophy that was grounded into him from the very beginning. It was just one kill after another, lives to take and assassinate, because there was no other way of life for him.

It took all his willpower to finally avert his gaze from the mirror. He couldn't keep dreaming. He wasn't allowed to dream.

He left the bathroom angry as he tightened his tie and straightened his school uniform.

Another day of crowding, and he was already annoyed.

Namimori was going to suffer.

Seconds later, he met the stairs – _his _stairs. Another thing that was alien to him, because now, he owned a house. No more hotels, no more traveling; at least, for a long while now. He never knew how different it was to be a bodyguard. Complicated, the need for caution, the need to be suspicious of every man and woman who came in contact with him. Sympathy and patience.

He didn't have that, surely he didn't.

And being patient with Sawada Tsunayoshi was a task he never thought would be so hard. It was demanded for him to watch his every move, record his actions, and every other picky thing that sounded unnecessary.

It almost came to the point where he wanted to complain. Yes, _the _Hibari Kyouya wanted to complain. Sawada Tsunayoshi was just so…useless.

Clumsy as hell, stupid, and uncoordinated, Hibari didn't understand how the Arcobaleno even came up with the idea that he owned a flame. He was so "useless" that the skylark could even guarantee his death. Who would ever want Dame-Tsuna as a member of the ranks? He had no abilities, he possessed an herbivore personality, and he couldn't even say a few sentences without stuttering. He couldn't comprehend how someone could be so _hopeless_. It was like a miracle, and certainly, a bad one.

And as he recalled the memory from yesterday, he shook his head. To think that he was scared by the _sight _of him!

He remembered seeing him before he had even stepped into his own house. Back turned and oblivious of his presence, the brunet had bent down to place something before the front door. He heard the crinkle of plastic as it was set and narrowed his eyes when the boy finally faced him. The acknowledgement didn't come at first. He had his attention focused upon his clothes as he dusted it off. But when Sawada Tsunayoshi properly looked up, his expression contorted into a cruel form of horror. Mouth gaping and shivering, eyes enlarged, filled with panic, and limbs frozen, drowned by his terror.

Hibari moved forward, revolted by how weak and cowardly he was, and secretly scowled at the quivering brunet when he frantically shied away. He refrained himself from snapping as he passed. His fear was just so ridiculous and absurd.

He had dismissed him without a word; slammed the door upon him with no proper greeting. The boy didn't need one. He didn't _deserve _one. Not when his teeth were chattering because he saw a person. Again, ridiculous. It was just ridiculous.

However, the skylark wasn't as cold as to disregard what was given to him. He had the heart to grab the mysterious plastic bag, pull upon its flimsy handles, and bring it inside before the door shut. Later that night when he unwrapped it, he had frowned, confused.

It was food.

It was a plate of anpan.

To be honest, Hibari was warily expecting a burst of fire or maybe a few bombs. Once again, he pondered, _Why? _

Why was this given to him? Why did it have significance? _What_ was the significance?

Was it poisoned? Was it implanted with recording bugs? What was the meaning of the rolls of sweetened bread that contaminated the kitchen?

Did he have to shoot them with a gun? Should he burn them?

Hibari Kyouya continued to stare at the plate intently, hands instinctively twitching over to his tonfas. A moment later, he stopped himself. What was he _doing_? This was no victim. _Bread _was not a victim, not an enemy, not a target that he was supposed to assassinate. He gradually relaxed his arms, lowering them by his sides as he shot a heated glare. The skylark didn't want to admit it, but he really did not know what to do.

Sure, it was a known fact that he was highly regarded amongst the Arcobaleno. They knew his name. Hibari Kyouya was the agent that everyone wanted. He completed his job the day it was given, asked no questions, and (to some extent) actually enjoyed whatever he did. But he wasn't like Cavallone Dino or Aphelandra Gamma – team leaders who were promoted not only because of their prowess, but also because of their formidable social skills. The Arcobaleno knew Hibari lacked in human association and also knew if he was ever promoted, the skylark would rule by fear. Hibari did not understand the basic regulations of life nor did he ever bother to learn them. Common social norms were not common to him; rather, they were foreign, strange, and incomprehensible.

Just like this anpan.

Just like how he didn't know in what manner was the best to deal with Sawada Tsunayoshi.

Just like how he didn't know the way to live a life without the Arcobaleno controlling him.

He began heading over to his designated school, skipping breakfast because his stomach was in no mood to eat. His loss of appetite was beginning to affect him severely, but consuming food just made him feel worse. It produced a scrabbling feeling in his chest that sickened him to hurl out whatever he inhaled before. Slowly crawling up his throat, threatening to erupt, Hibari didn't have the time to deal with such things.

It was morning, the period of time when the bell would ring, but he had woken up too early. Even though he knew that he wouldn't be leaving thirty minutes later, Hibari's urge to be on time didn't allow him to get out of bed any other time than now. However, if it wasn't for that _stupid brunet_, then he would have definitely left ages ago. By just one day, the skylark could come up with a very detailed impression that Sawada Tsunayoshi gave him. Being late was certainly a factor of his completely hopeless behavior.. Naturally impatient, Hibari considered tardiness as insufferable. Therefore, Tsunayoshi was insufferable. If the brunet was going to be late, then the skylark was going to be late as well. However, he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't go and just drag him off his mattress and carry him to school. Hibari "could not lay a finger."

So he ended up waiting outside his gate, shoulder blades positioned against brick wall and arms folded. To this day, he had never looked at his watch as much as now. He observed the hands ticking for each minute, passing the number 'twelve' every now and then in too much of a leisure fashion.

Ten minutes…nine minutes…eight minutes…seven…

The skylark gritted his teeth. When was the kid going to wake up?

Six…five…

The bell was going to ring way too soon.

Four minutes –

"_Hiiieee!_ I'm going to be late!"

Hibari growled, glaring at the direction where the voice came from.

He heard a scramble of gawky feet, whimpering, and the rustle of a tangled backpack. The thumping of an elephant came crashing through the neighboring gate as a panicking brunet rushed forward. The skylark straightened his back, ready to inflict his planned form of punishment, but before he could do anything, Sawada Tsunayoshi flew past him without a glance.

Hibari stood there, frozen. Was he just…_ignored_?

Whipping his head around, he only found himself confronted by a blaze of frowzy, unkempt hair that bounced along with its owner's frantic sprinting. The seconds continued to pulse, and Hibari ended up alone, dumbfounded by the neglect as the brunet's form ran farther and farther away.

He had _waited _for him! Didn't Tsunayoshi understand that? He had _waited_!

And yet he did absolutely _nothing _to acknowledge it.

The skylark's balled up his fists.

All this body guarding, all this attention he had to give and to receive nothing back – he angrily pushed himself off the wall – he _loathed _it.

There was only three minutes left until his first period class started, and Hibari Kyouya was going to make sure that someone was going to suffer.

* * *

He was excited for lunch.

_Very _excited.

He had been restless all morning, just yearning to bite the people around him to death.

However, there was someone in particular who his main objective was, and if anyone dared to get in his way, the skylark was sure to use all means to achieve what he desired.

But Hibari Kyouya 'could not lay a finger.'

Yet, this was the most perfect chance for him to get what he truly wished for.

Although he was pawn, he wasn't completely oblivious. He knew that the Arcobaleno wanted him. He knew that the Arcobaleno considered him with high potential. He knew that the Arcobaleno would not throw him away as easily they would do to others. So he was given a bit more leniency compared to his colleagues. He could occasionally challenge the syndicate's choker system and get away with it. As long as he didn't cause excessive trouble and eventually remained compliant, the Arcobaleno allowed it without a death sentence. He was valuable but at the same time, held too many flaws.

So Hibari planned to use his growing frustration as a method to remove himself from this _stupid job. _

If he acted upon violence, such as biting the herbivore to death, the Arcobaleno would be sure to kick him out as a bodyguard. They couldn't afford Sawada Tsunayoshi to be in danger from both sides – the late-bloomers _and _his own protector. Then finally, they would understand that placing Hibari in the position of being a guardian was definitely a bad idea. He would be moved back to his original role, and he would never have to worry about this again.

But his rebellion would certainly cause him an austere penalty.

In total, Hibari had defied the Arcobaleno twice. The first was when the mechanic first applied the choker around his neck. He tried to tear it off immediately, infuriated that someone would even think of enslaving him. This was a very typical reaction when it came to newcomers, since most of them could not believe how appalling the choker's function could be. Five years later when he was about to turn eleven, Hibari escaped, taking advantage of an airplane ticket in attempt to find the truth about his parents.

The consequence was devastating.

He ended up coming back with no new information, and the price he had to pay matched the atrocious, brutal agony of a tortuous crucifixion that refused to let him die.

The scars were still imprinted into his body ever since, raking his skin with revolting injuries of reckless defiance. It was even worse than his bared ribs; although it did encourage the sickly sight of wounds.

But the pain was worth it.

It was worth getting rid of his job, where he had to think too much and to prowl upon relationships. He wanted his old occupation back. He wanted to go back to killing, back to taking lives and not saving them.

So to him, biting Sawada Tsunayoshi to death made him wonderfully excited. It was time to end this.

His black shoes were clamped onto wood; a thick tree branch supported his weight as the skylark looked down upon grass and concrete. He was eying on a tuft of caramel hair, which swayed and became more tousled as the wind blew. Beside the brunet was his adopted brother, and if Hibari remembered correctly, the documents had said that Tsunayoshi always sat alone. Maybe the occurrence that happened yesterday had caused the crowding. Herbivores defending other herbivores. The more the better as they say.

Hibari checked his watch once again. If the captain was going to follow his own words, then Kensuke Mochida was coming soon. A little eavesdropping had informed him that the kendo club would be mobbing forward any time now.

"Enma, leave."

The skylark stared below him, ears perked and listening on the conversation.

"No. I'm always going to be here for you."

"Enma, I didn't get the five-thousand yen. If you're with me, Mochida isn't going to let you go."

"I know."

* * *

Brown orbs stared at red ones, frustrated and pleading. Tsuna didn't want him to be here. Sure, it was nice to have someone with him when he was so afraid, but this someone was his _brother_; no matter if he was of the same blood as him or not.

He had already begged yesterday, doing his best to force his authority of being older to send him away. Enma didn't deserve this. He was a good kid. He had a future. He didn't need to suffer through the beating of those who thought they were better than him. Enma needed to go.

But the redhead's stubbornness make him rock solid; stoic as he had his legs crossed upon dirt, waiting for whatever was to come with calm loyalty.

Eventually, Tsuna had no other choice but to fall silent. No matter how many times he asked, he wasn't going to be able to convince him. For once, his defiance seemed definite. Enma was typically timid and weak-willed. He easily conformed and took pride in listening to his older brother. He was supposed to be dependent.

Why Enma was so determined right now, the brunet did not know, but the guilt was slowly piling up to his throat, threatening to choke him. Whatever the outcome would be after Mochida's visit – the bruises, the cuts, and the blood – were all going to be his fault. His fault that he couldn't manage to make him leave, his fault that he didn't get the money, and his fault that he was just such a _Dame_-Tsuna.

The brunet scrunched his eyes shut when he heard the oncoming of rowdy voices that grew louder and louder. He could point out Mochida's obnoxious words, which rang out far more prominent than the others, craving for attention. There was a highly amused laugh, and then finally, a horde of strong and burly kendo club members swarmed around the school building's corner.

Mochida was grinning.

His lackeys were grinning.

And at that moment, Tsuna knew that they weren't expecting him to turn up with five-thousand yen. They just wanted to give a good beating, to use Tsuna as a punching bag, and to satisfy their own screwed-up hungers.

However, Mochida did mockingly give him a chance by saying: "Hey, Dame-Tsuna, where's my money?"

But they all knew. Mochida, his followers, Tsuna, Enma, and Hibari all knew from the very beginning that Sawada Tsunayoshi was just hopeless.

So the brunet shook his head, stuttered a few words, and braced himself for the worst.

* * *

Again, sorry guys, updating during summer camp is difficult. I'll be heading back home in two weeks. I'll try to keep writing some until then.

All the action will be in the next chapter guys, sorry! But please look forward to it. Hibari and Tsuna officially meet. :D

(Reviews are appreciated. :))


	4. Chapter 4

Oh, a little note. Some characters in Katekyo Hitman Reborn don't have last names for some reason, so I'm going to end up having to make them up. For example, Gamma, who was mentioned in the last chapter, doesn't have a last name (at least, that's what I came up with), so I made it up with something, hopefully, reasonable.

**To Kuro: **Thank you so much for the review! And here's what happens, haha, your next chap :)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Katekyo Hitman Reborn_, nor do I own some of the themes in this story that have a relation to _Darker than Black_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Pain rocked his body as a hard first slammed into his gut. The air was thrust out of his lungs, and Tsuna gasped to breathe. His knees buckled, and he tumbled onto the ground, wheezing. His fingernails dug deep into the dirt as he tried to get back into proper control. Legs shaking in attempt to stand up, the brunet gave a hacking cough as he somehow wobbled to his knees. His arms trembled when he placed his palms down for another source of support, so he was bent over on all fours. He coughed again, lungs greedily gathering oxygen.

There was a mass of laughter.

A harsh kick went to his chest, and Tsuna collapsed again. This time, he didn't bother to get back up.

"Hey, Dame-Tsuna, I was so generous to give you another day, but you came up with nothing in return for my gratitude. So you're stupid _and _rude."

Tsuna didn't have the energy to reply. All he cared about right now was air, air, air. He was desperate, sucking and inhaling.

"No, stop! Onii-san!"

"Will you fucking shut up?"

Someone screamed, and Tsuna struggled to raise his head. He needed to do _something._

His eyesight was fuzzing, but he could see a flurry of red hair. Enma had been hit.

"No..." Tsuna somehow croaked out. However, the only response he was given was another foot in his chest.

The brunet groaned.

_I'm so useless. I'm so useless. Why can't I do anything? Why am I so useless? _

It would have been fine if Mochida were just beating _him _up. And him only. But not Enma, especially when it was his own fault for all this to happen. It didn't matter if it was just Dame-Tsuna, since no one really cared for him. It wouldn't matter if he got a few bruises, but Enma…Enma couldn't have this.

Tsuna yearned to do something, but the pain was hitting him too hard. His breathing was ragged, and his body refused to move. Mochida really wasn't going easy on him this time.

"Don't think I'm going to let your brother go, Dame-Tsuna. He's in for it, too. If you hadn't forced him to stay, I might have just let him pass."

_I _want_ him to leave! _Tsuna wanted to shout but only a pathetic gurgle released from his sore lips.

Suddenly, his head was jerked upwards. Tsuna repressed a yelp as he felt the roots ripping out of his scalp. An insensitive hand gripped at his hair, yanking him to meet the unforgiving eyes of his predator. Something wet hit his cheek, and it took a moment for the brunet to realize that he was just spat upon. Everything was still a blur, but he could tell that it was Mochida who was sneering at him, mouth wide and proud.

How was he going to explain all this when he got home? What could he say to Nana?

He squinted his eyes, trying to clear his vision, but it did nothing to help. He wanted to go over to Enma; ask him if he was okay. He wanted to just freaking _move_.

Again, he struggled, but Mochida was merciless. He choked on dirt as his face was pushed down. The grainy texture mixed into his saliva, and his tongue recoiled at the taste. When he gasped, he inhaled things that his lungs were disgusted in. It was like Mochida was trying to drown him or bury him alive.

"You're pathetic."

A shoe was planted upon the back of his skull.

"You know what? I'll save you for later. I think it will be a much better idea if you see your brother get beaten up first."

He was hauled back up by his hair, and Tsuna frantically swallowed in soiled oxygen when he was finally allowed to breathe. Vicious hands repositioned his head to the right, grabbing his chin as they did so, demanding and forcing through every action. Tsuna could only obey and watch whatever Mochida was planning to show him.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing?"

Hibari Kyouya nearly jumped. Immediately, he whirled around, muscles tense and suspecting, but managed to relax when he realized who was speaking to him; although he did give the other a cold and irritated glare. Another factor he had to add onto his list of why he hated him: abrupt and annoyingly random appearances.

Normally, Hibari could tell when he was coming. But normally, Hibari wasn't quite in this sort of situation where he was so concentrated on something so particular.

"You are a _bodyguard_, Hibari, a _bodyguard_. Hurry up and get down there."

The skylark felt the hilt of a certain trident prod him in the back.

He snarled at this and snatched at the weapon with his own hands to still its movements. The illusionist didn't fight back, but he made sure to return with one of his scowls as well. His mismatched eyes were narrowed, and the curves of his mouth were slightly turned downwards. Rukudo Mukuro was unimpressed with the skylark's work, and he was here to fix the situation into what he wanted.

"Are you going or not?" Mukuro asked again, tone clipped.

Hibari snapped. "What are you doing here?"

It came out as a foul snarl. He hated this job, but that didn't mean the pineapple bastard had the right to butt in. Who did he think he was? Who did he think _Hibari _was?

Hibari was Hibari Kyouya; people just knew it was an established fact that offering help or any sort of interference was never given to the skylark. But the Mist user was always the only one who defied the rules, the regulations, and the reputations. Maybe that was why he appeared so arrogant. He lived in a world where Rokudo Mukuro was the king, not even minding how a choker was wrapped around his vulnerable throat.

"I'm here so that you can do your job _right_, Kyouya. Don't tell me that you were actually planning to get yourself killed."

The skylark swiftly returned his attention back down below him and caught the scene of the brunet being shoved onto the ground.

"You're supposed to protect him –"

"I don't want to."

"…What?"

Hibari eyed at the man before him. The thin tree branches and leaves casted shadows upon his face, painting the outline of his bone structure beneath his skin. His brows were creased due to confusion, and his lips were pursed. For a moment, it looked like as if he actually _cared_; that the Mist user actually held some sort of genuine emotion for him. Hibari Kyouya couldn't die, couldn't die because the illusionist wished for it. But it sounded ridiculous, so Hibari wiped away the thought. It was impossible. Mukuro was just like him _– supposed _to be just like him; how everything was to be placid, black and white, and simple. That made more sense.

He looked down once again, watching the brunet getting dragged. His face was plastered with dirt, his uniform was rumpled and filthy, and he was just so hopelessly caught in the revolting arms of Kensuke Mochida. Ten feet away from him was Enma; his expression clearly revealed his anxiety and fear, producing a better atmosphere for his insatiable hunters. He was also forced down upon his knees, and his slim fingers were masking the area under the bridge of his nose. Although the skylark was relatively far from the scene, he could still point out the blood that trickled through the small gaps between the redhead's knuckles.

Then one of Mochida's followers came forward, grinning as he gleefully knocked the redhead at his cheek. A heavier flow of blood spilled into his hands from the impact, and before he could even cry out in pain, another hit was sent to his stomach. He fell and instinctively curled his legs in as he was continued to be beaten. The heartless attacks were aimed at his head, his spine, his thighs - anywhere they could reach. Eventually, more blood soaked into the grass and dirt gradually developed into mud.

Tsunayoshi was fruitlessly flailing against Mochida's hold around him. He would release a few hampered "stops", but nothing he did changed anything. The kendo captain taunted him by muttering occasional words into the brunet's ear, which caused him more distress as he was bound to see his own brother getting torn up. Afterwards, when Mochida was finally satisfied, he gestured at his highly energized lackeys. They left the battered redhead without a thought, not even considering how much damage they had done. Enma was a rag doll, sprawled with stitchings loose and broken - alone.

Mochida's followers tromped towards the brunet, cracking their knuckles in the process. He squirmed, trying, for the last time, to escape. But of course, his actions served no purpose. His captor overpowered him to a limitless extent, and all Tsunayoshi could do was just to hope.

"Kyouya," was a hiss.

Hibari barely glanced behind him to acknowledge the voice.

"Kyouya, you better - oh, forget it, I'll just -"

And before the skylark could react, the illusionist had already planted his palm against Hibari's shoulder, and -_push!- _he was gone.

He tumbled, legs slipping from his previous position as he was was unexpectedly shoved off. He began to fall, but he managed to catch himself by a frivolous tree branch. However, it only held his weight for a few seconds before it snapped. Inwardly cursing, Hibari found himself unable to conceal his presence any longer as the soles of his feet hit the ground. He began to mentally berate himself for being so careless and stupid for not being on guard. And he also began to spout nasty insults towards a particular pineapple bastard for being a bastard.

When he looked up, Hibari was confronted by all the stares of the kendo club. His mouth twitched at all the gazes but didn't say anything. In fact, he wasn't quite too sure _what _he was going to do.

His original plan was to take care of Sawada Tsunayoshi himself; to give him his own bite to the death beating, whether it came with dealing with Mochida before he did so or not. He was certainly angry this morning, and he remembered that he had definitely wanted to punish Tsunayoshi for just being himself. But his curiosity won over his revenge. By the Arcobaleno, Tsunayoshi was deemed to have a flame. What type or how strong, Hibari didn't know, but Mochida had conveniently offered him a situation where he could figure it out; he offered a life-risking experience, which was the most effective way of provoking the release of a flame. Biting the brunet to death and getting rid of him could come later; determining the reason why the Arcobaleno wanted to keep tabs on such a _useless_ late-bloomer had to come now.

But Rokudo Mukuro had ruined it.

He had ruined it in a way where it was now impossible to even improvise. He was stuck in the spotlight, clearly visible and open to a crowd of herbivores. With no ability to revert time, Hibari could only execute the next logical step: save Sawada Tsunayoshi (and bite him to death afterwards).

"Who are you?"

Hibari's eyes fluttered towards the kendo captain. He looked annoyed as if someone had just interrupted his sleep. He was just too busy to deal with Hibari Kyouya, and his dismissive nature did nothing more but to his enhance the skylark's disgust towards him.

The raven-haired man took a few steps forward.

"I asked who - _gurrrk!_"

Hibari smirked as his knuckles dug into Mochida's abdomen area.

"You-! What the hell?"

The captain swung a punch at the skylark, but the attack was clumsy and effortlessly dodged.

Hibari didn't even give him time to comprehend what was going on. He sent in another punch and smiled to himself when he heard a satisfying _crack_. Possibly a broken rib; that would be good - something to give him pain when the next time he woke up. Then he swiftly brought out his tonfas, bashed them upon his opponent's head, and contentedly watched him fall to the ground, unconscious.

"Ah, senpai! He's down!"

Suddenly, they all began scrambling, sending terrified glances at the skylark as they panicked. How was it even possible? Kenuske Mochida getting knocked out by some random, unknown Namimori student?

The club members started backing away, exchanging nervous looks with each other as they contemplated their next move. The cowards fled; the few loyal ones cautiously inched forward to retrieve their captain's body; those who had the audacity to challenge him were defeated by a single swing. And the one shaking brunet who was sitting petrified on the ground stared at the skylark with comically wide eyes that were drowned in fear. Hibari stared at him back, which certainly did not help Tsunayoshi's situation; the acknowledgement just made him even more horrified.

The skylark's presence itself eventually pushed away Mochida's frightened followers. The captain was carried upon shoulders as they retreated. All Hibari had to do was just stand there, and people would leave. Sometimes, he didn't quite understand that. But they were all herbivores after all - always running away and never trying to confront their own issues.

When the whole kendo club had completely dispersed, the brunet found himself to be quite alone. Enma was probably off in his own dreamworld, Namimori students typically ate lunch inside, and the only person he could see was the daunting being of Hibari Kyouya.

He lifted up his foot and placed it down -

"EEEEEEIII! Don't kill me! Please!"

Hibari paused, not expecting such an exaggerated reaction. He was five feet away from him, and Tsunayoshi was cowering in fear; his body beginning to make itself smaller as if it would make everything better. However, the skylark did not listen to his request. Even though Hibari didn't want to have any relation with the brunet, it was inevitable that, as a bodyguard's role, he would have to officially confront him one day. If he was fortunate enough, he would only have to do this once: come into contact with Tsunayoshi and bite him to death later so that the Arcobaleno could cast him out. Then he would never have to see him again.

So the skylark continued forward, and he could see that the brunet was starting to hyperventilate due the horror he was experiencing. Why was he so terrified? Because some mysterious person had just effortlessly drove away his bullies? What was he doing to make Tsunayoshi so apprehensive of him?

"Please, _please_ don't kill me," he begged.

Hibari was only a foot away from him now, breaching Tsunayoshi's personal space as he loomed over him. The brunet could only look up at him, limbs shivering and teeth trembling.

"W-what, what did I do? Why are you h-haunting me?"

The skylark frowned. Haunting? Did this useless herbivore actually figure out that he had been following him for the past day? Was Tsunayoshi smarter than he seemed?

"Y-you're a ghost, right? W-why?"

Hibari refrained himself from making a face. Of course, useless to the very end. To think that the brunet thought of him as a superstition made the skylark slightly grossed out. How did that even get to his head? Abruptly, he bent down, and the brunet immediately jumped at the sudden movement and backed away. But before he could go any farther, the raven-haired man snatched at one of Tsunayoshi's hands and pressed it against his own.

He stared at caramel orbs. He saw the confusion replace fear as his hand was placed against the other. Tsunayoshi looked at the differing hands, observing how his peach skin contrasted greatly with Hibari's unhealthy, pale-white color. Hibari may have been white like a ghost, but he was still solid.

This was also the first time he ever saw Sawada Tsunayoshi up close. He saw faraway glimpses of him, lots of hair, and lots of scenes of him tripping, but never his face where it was situated right in front of him.

Hibari noticed that his traits were very feminine. His eyes were impossibly wide, too large for an average boy, while his nose was small, up high on his face and pointed. Sienna strings (his hairstyle was the craziest the skylark had ever seen) cupped his slim jaw structure, which was tailed by a thin, bare throat - chaste, clean, safe, never infected by the works of the Arcobaleno. Until now. Now that Hibari had come into contact with him, Tsunayoshi's life only had two options: death or slavery.

"You're...human?"

Hibari growled at the idiotic-sounding words but did nothing more to threaten the brunet. He ripped his hand away from him and stood up. Tsunayoshi still looked confused.

He gave him no warning. Hibari was never the type to go slow; he did things his own way, so he gave no warning. Tsunayoshi shrieked as he felt something slide up under him, lifting him off the ground. He gave a "oomph!" as he was slung upon Hibari's shoulder. And when he could finally orientate himself, he realized that he was being carried like a sack of potatoes.

"What are you doing?"

The raven-haired man gave no reply but began walking towards the school building as for his destination. The brunet did not pester his carrier for an answer; however, he soon began struggling when he realized that he had forgotten something very important.

"No, wait. Let me go."

Hibari kept walking.

"Let me go! My brother, I need to help my brother!"

He snarled when Tsunayoshi began thrashing against his hold and thrust him upwards to reposition him as a signal to tell him to stop and shut up.

Hibari already had _this_ stupid brunet to take care of; there was no need to look after a redhead as well. He had the right to walk away.

"Please, stop! My brother needs to be brought to the nurse, let go!"

Tsunayoshi continued to flail, and Hibari grew dangerously annoyed as his face was accidentally smacked by the brunet's palm. He kicked and pushed against him, and it frustrated the skylark how the attention he was giving to this brunet was inferior to his brother. Why didn't he understand? Hibari had _never_ done something like this before. To care for, to constantly think about someone, to worry - didn't he understand that he was the _only_ one to ever receive this from him? And he just disregarded it as if it was nothing, how could he?

Furious, Hibari dropped him. He didn't put any effort in being gentle; Tsunayoshi didn't want him, so why should he?

The brunet fell, his bottom hitting the ground first as he crashed, but he was too frantic to care about the skylark's rudeness. He hastened to get to his feet, giving no time to acknowledge anything else but his own brother. Hibari knew that he was in pain from Mochida's beating, but he did not allow it to hinder him as he sprinted over to what he wanted. When he reached him, Tsunayoshi heaved a dry sob as he bowed over a crippled body, brushing away sleek-sweated hair as he caressed a bloody face. Hibari heard him mumble:

"What should I do? What should I do? What should I do? What should I tell mom?"

Tsunayoshi waved his hands around, showing his helplessness and his need for help. He patted spoiled clothes with jerking movements, afraid that his touch would produce more pain. He hiccuped and swallowed them down in attempt to calm himself, but he was only becoming more distraught. His hands were still moving, trying to do something but then stopping, because he just didn't know what to do.

"The nurse, the nurse, the nurse...Oh, my God, the nurse."

He brushed at the redhead's hair again, fingers fidgeting and panicking. He put an arm behind his brother's head. He wanted to bring him back to his feet, but he didn't have the power to nor did he know how. There was another dry, broken sob as he covered his own face, bringing his forehead to his knees in shame. He didn't know what to do.

Hibari wanted to leave. This was just so pathetic. It was such an herbivore problem, and he didn't want anything to do with it.

But then Tsunayoshi turned around and looked at him, pink lips quivering as he hiccuped once again.

"Help. _P__lease_."

The skylark glared.

_Now _he wanted him. But he wanted him for what? He wanted him to help _someone else_. Did he actually think that he was permitted to ask for such a thing? This was Hibari Kyouya here, not some random and kind policeman, not some doctor, not someone who he could just request for something and get away with it. Why couldn't he just understand?

So he spun and turned his back upon the brunet. He didn't want to do this. If Tsunayoshi was going to hate him, then he could. Hibari wanted to throw him out of his life, anyway. There was no reciprocity effect between them, or maybe there was a reciprocity of loathing, but that would be perfectly fine, too.

"_Please_."

Tsunayoshi was begging. It was a voice of begging. Even an ant could pity him because of how pathetic he sounded. How could he not have any pride? What kind of man could kneel so willingly and plead?

"Please, _please_, help him."

* * *

He didn't know who this person was. Some "ghost", some hero, some mysterious, unknown student of Namimori who took down Kensuke Mochida. But he didn't know who this person was.

He certainly wanted to. This man had saved him. _No one_ wanted to save Sawada Tsunayoshi, but this man did.

Why did he do so? The brunet wished to know, but he couldn't. Not now. Not when Enma was bleeding so much. Not when Enma was suffering because of Tsuna.

He needed help. Maybe the ghost would save him again, just one more time. He really needed it.

But the man wasn't a ghost. He was solid. He was human. He was also the one who took Nana's welcome gift and was most likely his new neighbor. But still, who was he? How was he so powerful? How did he take down the kendo captain Mochida?

He needed help, but it looked like he was out of luck. The raven-haired man had his back turned to him, obviously telling him that he didn't want to listen. But Tsuna asked one more time, just one last time.

"_Please_."

And finally, he turned.

Tsuna wanted to cry out in joy.

The unknown Namimori student turned around and came towards him. He didn't seem too happy, but he was coming towards him. That was enough. As long as Enma could be saved, that was enough.

The redhead was picked up with ease, bouncing along in the man's arms as he positioned him. Immediately, Tsuna eagerly stumbled to his feet, already feeling so much better knowing that his brother was getting help. So, so much better.

He was led back to the school building. The raven-haired man carried Enma as if he weighed nothing, and Tsuna almost had to jog in order to catch up with his long strides. He could feel the pain from his injuries now as he walked, but it didn't matter. _Enma_ mattered, not him.

Students were still walking through the hallways, and they pointed and stared, whispering amongst themselves as they gossiped. This was typical for Dame-Tsuna and his brother. However, someone who was positively interacting with them was not typical, so it set mounds of confusion to their spectators. Questions rolled across tongue after tongue, but the only answer that could be given was a shake of a head and a shrug.

The nurse was shocked when all three of them came in. Tsuna was battered, but Enma was even more battered. He really wasn't expecting Mochida to beat him so hard, and Enma's condition looked even worse close up.

It was hard to tell at first, because his hair was so fiery red. But the ends of his strands were further colored crimson, since it was crusted in his own blood. His hair stuck to his face, and he was becoming just as pale as the man who was lifting him. Blood was drying all around his nose, and Tsuna was sure that it had been broken; he flinched at the thought as he wondered if any other bones of his brother's was fractured. The brunet wasn't too sure about his ribs, but there were plenty of new scrapes and scratches that covered his bare arms, which needed to be tended to.

Tsuna just wanted him to get better _now_.

Really, what was he going to tell Nana?

Enma was set down upon one of the cots, and the nurse hurried over to disinfect his wounds, check for any other possible broken bones, and clean him up with a wet cloth. Tsuna moaned, his worry starting to build up again. A few minutes later, the nurse probed the brunet for his injuries, but he waved her away. Enma needed her full attention.

Then he glanced around the room, searching for someone but couldn't find him. Where did the ghost go?

He looked behind him, but he wasn't there either.

Tsuna frowned. He was gone, and he hadn't even thanked him.

But he could find him later. After all, they were in the same school, so it wouldn't be that hard to search for him. Besides, he was so powerful, he was bound to stand out amongst the Namimori population.

_Ringgg! Ringgg! Ringgg! _

Startled, the brunet reached into his pocket as he realized that someone was calling him. He was also a little perplexed. Who would be calling him at this sort of time? And a pang of fear hit him when he saw his mother's name appear upon his cellphone's caller ID. Did she already figure out? Did she already hear the news that dear Enma was currently unconscious and impaired?

His fingers wanted to cringe away from the machine buzzing in his hand, but he had to answer.

"Hello? Okaa-san?"

"Tsu-kun! Guess what?"

Her voice was cheery and bubbly as always. There was no way that she knew about Enma's current status.

"Yes?"

"There's someone special waiting at the local park! I already called your principal to let you off for the rest of the day so that you can meet him. You better go now!"

And then the phone beeped.

Confused, Tsuna stared at his phone screen and watched it turn black.

What was going on?

* * *

Some notes:

I think I made it a little unclear, but here's the clarification

So Hibari first wanted to bite Tsuna to death because he was being annoying. But then he changed his mind when he realized that Mochida was giving him the perfect situation to figure out what kind of flame Tsuna had. Going through a life-risking experience is the perfect way to release your flame due to adrenaline and the motivation to stay alive. So Hibari was banking on that. He wanted to figure out why the Arcobaleno wanted him protected, because it's so obvious from the very beginning that Tsuna is "useless". Why didn't they just order to kill him from the very start? So Hibari wanted to know the reason why he needed to be bodyguard-ed. However, Mukuro ruined his plan...so oops.

Yes, Tsuna thought Hibari was a ghost when they first met because he was just so pale. That's how unhealthy he looks.

(reviews are appreciated :D)


	5. Chapter 5

**To Guest: **Hahaha, thank you so much for the review! Here's the update (:

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Katekyo Hitman Reborn_, nor do I own some of the themes in this story that have a relation to _Darker than Black_

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Hibari had left the nurse's office a few minutes ago; however, he was still standing by its door, not really sure what he was waiting for. Of course, he wanted to get rid of the Tsunayoshi kid, but the skylark wasn't too sure if it was a good idea to execute his plan right at this moment.

Too much had happened today. Hibari didn't save the brunet the split moment he was attacked, he didn't do his job the "right" way, and the pineapple bastard even had to personally send him a warning to get the skylark moving. If he hadn't appeared, then Tsunayoshi would have probably ended up in the same situation as his little brother – bruised, tattered, and torn. He wouldn't be surprised if his boss called him right now so that he could berate and yell at him for being such a "fucking piece of trash".

But he was prepared for it. He was expecting it to come, which was why the skylark felt that he would be pushing his luck if he bit Sawada Tsunayoshi to death now. The punishment would come to him far worse than just a few nasty scars and a couple broken bones. The Arcobaleno weren't kind; they would push him farther than the extent of his limit, drain his life to the last drop but refuse to let him meet peace even if he begged for it (not like Hibari ever would). In conclusion, the obvious answer: continued violence was a bad idea.

So now, although he didn't want to admit, Hibari was at lost for what he needed to do next. It seemed like he wasn't fortunate enough to keep the relationship between Tsunayoshi and him as a once in a lifetime meeting. The next time he associated with him, what was he supposed to do? The next time he associated with him, did he finally have to open his mouth and talk?

Hibari wanted to stop thinking about him. He hated how since the day he started this job, all he could remember doing was worry, worry, and worry some more about the brunet. Even though he had only received those damned documents that provided him information for this mission two days ago, it felt like it had already been a long treacherous month of social torture.

Why did the Arcobaleno request him to do this?

That was probably the thousandth time he had asked the question. Hibari was frustrated, and he wanted the frustration to stop.

_Bam!_

"Are you an_ idiot_?"

A foreign hand was slammed into the position of the right of his head, attempting to produce a source of intimidation to push upon the skylark. Hibari, back against the wall, grumbled, unaffected by the physical caging but was growing uncomfortable due to the close proximity. The familiar sense of a Mist flame was surrounding him again, and his stomach was becoming nauseous by the feel of it. He wanted to shove him away, but that was a sign of weakness. He couldn't give in.

Rokudo Mukuro was closing in on him, face nearing the skylark's as he slinked forward. Although the illusionist was not respecting Hibari's personal space, he made sure to stop an inch away. The raven-haired man couldn't help but to flicker his eyes downward for a second. His uneasiness was building, and the movement of his eyes was an involuntary action that he couldn't repress. The swift glance allowed him to notice that Mukuro was fitted in the Namimori uniform. It was his temporary disguise so that by-passers wouldn't send him triple glances (second glances no longer counted for Mukuro, since his naturally appealing appearance attracted stares whether they were interested or not). From the skylark's perspective, he looked quite strange. He wasn't used to seeing him in such normal clothing. Mukuro was always a fashion-freak, starting with leather jackets to skinny jeans and dangling accessories. He just knew how to dress, and he just seemed so _normal _(besides his outrageous pineapple hair) when he wasn't carrying around a trident or wearing dark mafia-looking clothes.

Mukuro noticed the skylark's discomfort. He didn't verbally point it out, but he gladly used it to his advantage. He wanted answers. He wanted to know the reason behind Hibari's abnormal stupidity. He wanted to know why Hibari did what he did.

He wasn't a fool, Mukuro knew that. He had known Hibari long enough to understand him more than others, and he knew that Hibari was not a fool. The skylark was known to have a large amount of pride, but he couldn't expand it if he got killed. Hibari didn't defy the Arcobaleno's order not because he was afraid; he didn't defy them because it was the most logical thing to do. Disobedience was equivalent to death, and disobedience was what Hibari Kyouya was definitely acting upon now.

"Kyouya," the Mist user whispered, his breath fanning across pale skin, "are you suicidal?"

The raven-haired man glared.

"Tell me, Kyouya, tell me."

And if it was even possible, Mukuro dared to go closer. Their noses were barely touching.

"Anything, just tell me. What are you trying to escape from by death?"

"Just move, you –"

_! ! !  
_

Something alien crashed against his lips. It was cold, further sickening the skylark as the Mist made actual contact with his body. What the hell? He was _kissing _him! He didn't understand why the _fuck_ the pineapple bastard was doing this, but he needed to stop _now._ And for God's sake, they were in _school _(not that being in public was the only thing that was bothering him).

Hibari lurched back, pulling away, but the back of his head thumped against the hard surface behind him. Mukuro was pinning him against the wall and wasn't allowing him much space to maneuver around.

"I am _not_ suicidal, you pineapple bastard."

Mukuro smirked. "And that was all you had to say, birdie. You always like to do things the hard way."

Oh, how much Hibari wanted to punch him right now. But he couldn't. Hitting his colleague was something that he could get reported on.

"Okay, another question, Kyouya," the illusionist smiled. Both of his elbows were now placed on either side of the skylark, blocking his exits. "If you're not suicidal, then why are you being so _stupid_?"

The raven-haired man responded with fuming silence.

"Do you want me to kiss you again?"

Hibari glowered a pair daggers before he snapped, "I want out of this job, Mukuro. That's it."

"'Out'? Through stupidity? Now how does that work?"

"By not doing it right. I'll show the Arcobaleno that they picked the wrong person. Sooner or later, they'll kick me out."

Mukuro's mismatched eyes were skeptical. "Don't tell me that you're actually banking on your assassination abilities? Do you really think that you're valuable enough that the Arcobaleno will _only_ punish you? Do you really think that the Arcobaleno won't just throw you away?"

Hibari didn't give an answer.

"You're mistaken, Kyouya. Don't deceive yourself. The Arcobaleno always have a reason for everything they do. _Especially _when it comes to something outside the norm."

The two stood together, bodies close while they intently stared at one another, neither refusing to back down. They remained quiet for the next couple of minutes, both seething, but eventually, Mukuro retracted. Hibari's stomach immediately began to calm down as the Mist flames also receded from him, and his muscles, stiff ever since the illusionist had appeared, relaxed by the slightest bit.

"Some advice for you, birdie - don't _make_ this hard. Bodyguarding is simple if you actually _try _to form a relationship."

"Crowds are unnecessary," Hibari retorted, but he was only saying it as an excuse. He had no idea how to form relationships, and he was sure that Mukuro knew exactly what the skylark wanted to hide from him.

"Just don't get yourself killed," the Mist user rolled his eyes. Then he glanced over, spotting something past Hibari's head as he slowly raised his trident. "Also, your little Tsunayoshi should be coming out right about...now."

And with that, Mukuro blew up in flames, disappeared, and the door besides the skylark opened.

"Eeiiii!"

Seriously, that scream again? He was pretty sure that the first thing the brunet ever said to him was a shriek.

The smaller boy fumbled a bit, unconsciously straightening his clothes and smoothing out his wild hair as if he was meeting someone highly respected.

"U-um, I didn't know you were still h-here."

Hibari just looked at him.

He fumbled some more.

"Well, um, I wanted to tell you t-thanks. Thanks for saving me...a-and my brother."

"I didn't do it for you, herbivore."

The brunet jumped. It was the first time the skylark ever spoke to him, and his brain hunted for a proper reply. At least something that didn't make him sound dumb, but what did he mean by 'herbivore'?

"O-okay...?" was the only thing that Tsuna could manage to say, and he mentally cursed at himself for being so inadequate.

Hibari continued to stare, unresponsive.

Tsuna nervously glanced away and then back; the awkwardness was distinct. "Well, uh, um, uh..."

The raven-haired man shifted his weight to face him directly, and the other started once again because of the unpleasant atmosphere. Hibari wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but..._"Some advice for you, birdie...Bodyguarding is actually simple if you_ try _to form a relationship._"

He opened his mouth and then closed it. He did this a few more times as he pondered and debated within himself. Seconds passed and the brunet was looking up at him expectantly, his large brown eyes prodding and curious. The skylark clenched and unclenched his fists, then finally said:

"Let's form a relationship."

Tsuna literally did a double-take.

Just _what _did Hibari Kyouya say?

* * *

What did he _mean_?

Tsuna didn't understand what was going on.

For one thing, Dame-Tsuna didn't even have friends; for another, was he interpreting those words the correct way?

"_Huh_?" the brunet squawked, his mouth hanging open. How was he supposed to respond to that?

He waited for an explanation, but the ghost didn't give one. Fretfully, he glanced around, hoping for someone to get him out of this situation (not that anyone would), and when he looked back, the raven-haired man was still staring at him. Tsuna gulped, afraid of the ending outcome. He didn't want to think.

"U-uhhh, uhm," he began again, stammering, but then shut his mouth and flinched when the other sent a furious glare.

Tsuna could feel the pressure squashing him. It was burdening his shoulders, making it hard to lift them. He couldn't move, and if he did, something would explode. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do next. He just stood there, deer in headlights, as he stayed frozen in place. He felt like he was doing something wrong, but he didn't know what he was doing wrong. The ghost was still glowering at him, and he didn't know why. What was he expecting? How_ could_ the ghost expect something? They just met, and what did a "relationship" even mean?

Besides - "Let's form a relationship." - it wasn't even a question! Yet the ghost was still waiting for some sort of answer. It was a demand, yet the ghost was still waiting for some sort of answer.

Did Tsuna have a choice?

"Er...uh, y-yes?"

He looked satisfied. The ghost stopped glaring at him, and the air around him felt strangely accomplished as if he just completed an important task. But what was going to happen now? Tsuna was so confused. He had just agreed upon something he didn't understand, and he was scared to know the actual meaning. But how could he have said no? The ghost had glared at him for an answer; how could he have said no at the time?

But wait - he wasn't supposed to be here right now; Nana had called him to leave. "Someone special" was waiting for him, and the call happened around ten minutes ago. Enma had held him up, because he was fussing over him, and...and this - Tsuna didn't even know his name! - the ghost, the savior, and the Namimori student that he never met before, held him up, because he wanted to thank him but somehow fell to this ridiculously awkward situation.

Was it rude to just leave? Some "relationship" was established between them, so was it okay to leave right afterwards?

Tsuna wanted to clutch his hair, run around, and scream, because he was too conflicted. He was so clueless, and he felt so stupid as he just stood, unable to give a single, proper sentence. But he did what he had to do.

"I-I have to g-go. S-sorry!"

And he internally cringed when the raven-haired man did not answer.

He continued staring, sharply observing him as if he was some kind of eccentric animal. But Tsuna had to break free from the gaze. Someone was waiting for him, and he would have to somehow deal with this later.

The brunet gave an insecure wave and hurried past him. He felt that if he stayed any longer, he would regret it. The ghost wanted to get close to him, but there was a definite wall in between. And if Tsuna was expected to break through it, he had no idea how to do so.

He escaped to a nearby bathroom first. There was still mud on his face from Mochida's beating, and he needed to wash it off. He didn't want this "special someone" to be asking questions.

Tsuna didn't wince when he saw his reflection on the mirror. The dirt that caked his face, the ruined uniform, the frowzy hair - he had seen so much worse. He knew that there would be large bruises beneath his collared shirt due to the kicks that were formerly shot at him, but he didn't bother to go and check. Again, he had seen and been through much worse.

He turned on the sink, and cool water met his fingertips as he ran his hand under the nozzle. Minuscule particles of earth drained down along the white surface as he wiped his face, and a paper towel caressed off the excess upon his skin. He was glad that the ghost had saved him in time before Mochida could punch his face in. Bruises so visible were hard to get away with, and he was already going to get inquiries on why his clothes were so dirty.

On the other hand, Enma's condition was far worse. The brunet wasn't sure how to define how well off he was since the uniform obscured his overall body, but Tsuna knew that he was far from good. It was a guarantee that he had a broken nose and that he wouldn't be walking straight anytime soon; however, Tsuna was in no professional position to determine his current shape.

But what worried him the most was Nana. Actually, what _scared _him the most was Nana.

He didn't know what he was going to say to her.

Tsuna could pass with an "I tripped.", but Enma's broken nose and potentially other broken bones could not be so easily fabricated. He had to come up with something reasonable so that Nana wouldn't start raving.

Typically, Tsuna threw it off by just dealing with the pain if things really did get bad. A little patch up at the nurse's office, some suppression of limps, and hiding his whimpers were things he had to tolerate, but Enma was different. Enma didn't go through as much as his older brother did. He got in to a few fights here and there, but his friends were normally around to fend off his bullies. The redhead could effortlessly blame his injuries on his clumsiness, and Nana wouldn't suspect anything. But what was he going to say now?

Tsuna tossed a damp paper towel into the trashcan with a little more force than usual. He was becoming more and more frantic as he imagined the possible outcomes when both Enma and he got home. But as he recalled, things would turn out much worse if it wasn't for the ghost. Because he got saved, the brunet wouldn't end up having to explain Enma's _and_ his own situation to Nana.

He exited the bathroom, thinking about him - the ghost. He wondered how he didn't know who he was. Someone who was so powerful as to defeat Kensuke Mochida had to be known throughout Namimori, yet the brunet had no idea who he was. But Tsuna was also quite anxious about him. Whether his anxiety was good or bad, he couldn't decide; he just knew that he was anxious. Especially for their next meeting.

But another emotion was tagged along with this anxiety: excitement.

Tsuna was just _so _excited.

Why? Because no matter how poorly he translated the ghost's "Let's form a relationship.", it would still mean that they were friends. Even acquaintances was enough. As long there was a bond between them, Tsuna was excited. Someone was actually _willing _to talk to him, to regard him as Tsuna and not Dame-Tsuna (hopefully), and to be something that Tsuna never had. A friend. The concept excited him overwhelmingly.

Now that his thoughts were upon something positive, the brunet nearly skipped out the school gates. He didn't think anyone could understand him at this point. No one could understand his happiness that was welling up inside him, slowly devouring his original dread. He had achieved something that he never owned that everyone else already had.

_Finally!_

That was the best way he could describe what he was feeling.

Just finally.

Tsuna reached his destination only a couple minutes later; its location being the midpoint between his school and his living quarters. His feet shuffled in grass as he entered the local park, and his eyes wandered, searching for whoever he was supposed to meet.

There were a few old couples walking around and some toddlers with moms, but neither seemed to be who Nana was mentioning. Who was this "special someone", anyway? The whole day was just too chaotic for Tsuna to even be curious, and now that he was where he was supposed to be, not a single person as to who it could be popped into his head.

Deciding that he would wait, the brunet headed over to sit down on a wooden bench, but his action was soon interrupted by a tall, brawny man.

"Tsuna, I was beginning to think that you weren't coming!"

He froze, muscles turning rigid as he recognized the voice. He wanted to disappear. _Now_.

A large arm was slung around his shoulders. Tsuna stumbled forward a little as the weight crashed upon him. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, cursing. All the concern he was suffering through, all the fussing in his own head, all the thrill he was experiencing just a minute ago, collapsed and snapped into pieces.

"Long time no see, yeah?"

The brunet looked up, smiling weakly out of politeness.

"Hi, Dad."

* * *

Hibari Kyouya had never been more surprised in his entire life.

It even took him a while to actually believe what was going on in front of him.

He had heard stories, rumors, and references, but he never would have thought that _this _man was_ the_ Sawada Iemitsu.

His brain ran forward way too quickly as Hibari began to piece things together. Sawada Iemitsu, the _adviser_ of the Arcobaleno, was Tsunayoshi's _father? _What was that supposed to signify? It had to mean something. Iemitsu, one of the strongest among the Arcobaleno's slaves - what did it mean for _Tsuna? _Was the brunet actually far more ahead than he actually seemed? Was the brunet _pretending_ to be so dumb and idiotic? Was Iemitsu the reason why Hibari was damned with this job of bodyguarding?

Was Tsunayoshi actually 'useful'?

"So, Tsuna, who's this guy behind you? Your friend?"

Hibari looked at him, Iemitsu, who was grinning like he had no care for the world. Maybe he was just someone with the same name. He certainly did not appear like an adviser at all.

"Who?" the brunet asked, completely oblivious of the fact that the skylark had been following him the whole time. He turned around and -

"Eeeeeeiii!" (Not again...) "Y-you - how did you g-get here!"

Iemitsu glanced between the two, laughing. "Well, who is he? You know him, right?"

Tsuna bristled and blanched. "U-uhm, he is, uh..."

"Hibari Kyouya."

Immediately, the atmosphere changed. Iemitsu's smile fell, his brows furrowed, and his right hand went to his pocket. Even Tsuna, who had no idea what was going on, could tell that his father held some sort of unknown aggression. The brunet frowned, not sure of what was happening as he spectated a glaring contest between his new found friend and his guardian.

"Dad - "

"Tsuna, I'll talk to you later. Go on home."

The brunet sent Hibari a questioning look, but the skylark only gave a blank stare. Hesitantly, Tsuna stepped away, unsure of his own movements.

"Uhm, bye?"

"See ya, Tsuna. Tell Nana I said hi," Iemitsu turned and once again, smiled at his son.

With this, the brunet finally, although reluctantly, left.

Hibari did not follow him this time. It was obviously implied that the Arcobaleno's adviser had something to say to him. His chocolate eyes were scrutinizing, and seconds later, they pointedly gazed at the skylark's neck, all-knowing.

It didn't matter if there was an illusion covering what was around his throat; to Iemitsu, everything about him was obvious.

"Hibari Kyouya, take a walk with me."

It was a suggestion but also a demand. Sawada Iemitsu was the Arcobaleno's adviser, and Sawada Iemitsu was in a higher position than Hibari was. There was no choice but to obey his every command. After all, the skylark was only an agent, a dog, and a slave.

So he followed him_. _He followed Iemitsu to the local park's trail, which was surrounded by trees, gravel, and most importantly, privacy.

"So, Hibari-san, who's your team leader?"

He paused before he answered. "Xanxus."

"Ahh, now I remember. Sometimes I would like to say that you're more famous than him," Iemitsu gave a dark chuckle. "You're a Cloud user, right?"

"Yes."

"Of course," he scoffed. "When were you assigned to look after Tsuna?"

"The day before yesterday."

"Wonderful," Ietmitsu muttered, his tone layered with sarcasm.

They continued walking deeper within the park's forest.

"You know, Hibari-san, I'm not giving him up," the Arcobaleno's adviser turned to face him, his eyes seemed to spark. "It doesn't matter whether Tsuna is going to be labeled 'useless' or 'useful', I'm not giving him up."

Hibari stared. He could feel Iemitsu's flame igniting. "That will be the Arcobaleno's decision."

Suddenly, Hibari's senses flared. Something was coming towards his face, and it was _fast__. _His hands reached for his tonfas and -

_Bhhhmmmshhiiinnnggggkk!_

He could feel a flame roaring, but he couldn't see it. It was threatening him, daring him to make another argument. A bare fist was at the base of his weapon, and both the skylark and the adviser fought for dominance by strength.

Sawada Iemitsu had just attacked him.

Hibari's right arm was shaking slightly as he wrestled for supremacy, but he couldn't do much else. He wasn't _allowed _to do much else. Assaulting a superior could get him a very severe sentence, but he needed to defend himself at least.

"Then they will have to get through me first."

Iemitsu's eyes were glazed with a golden orange hue. His words rang, definite and determined but full of betrayal.

And by that single sentence, the Arcobaleno's adviser had become a traitor.

The forever loyal Iemitsu that Hibari had so frequently heard about had became a traitor. The sacrifices that he made day after day for them, the never-broken obedience that they so treasured, everything Iemitsu did for them was now void. His deeds and the miracles he created for the Arcobaleno - he no longer owned them. Because he said those words, from that point on, Tsunayoshi's father's death was inevitable.

It didn't matter how strong he was. It didn't matter. Iemitsu was dealing with the _Arcobaleno. _Not some measly gang. Not some random organization that only one person could take on.

His bravery was admirable, yes.

But Sawada Iemitsu's death was now inevitable.

Traitors were traitors and nothing else.

* * *

Ugh...sorry, this chapter was really choppy. ):

More notes:

When Tsuna says "ghost" that doesn't mean he still considers Hibari as a ghost, he just doesn't really know what else to call him.

I'm sorry, there will be more 6918 than I intended to be, but *of course*, it will not be the main pairing.

(reviews are appreciated :))


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for such a late update, this chapter was especially hard to write out...I suffered several days of writer's block, but here it is, at least. And some familiar people will finally make their official appearance here, yay!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Katekyo Hitman Reborn_, nor do I own some of the themes in this story that have a relation to _Darker than Black_

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Sawada Iemitsu's light demand had shot clean right through Tsuna's head as the brunet went back towards Namimori.

Like hell was he going to listen to his father and go home when his little brother was still at the nurse's office. He needed to pick him up and form some kind of plan to get his injuries past Nana's eye. And now that Iemitsu was suddenly back in town, he needed to get Enma past his eye as well.

He despised how his father had just randomly popped up as if it was okay to do so. Iemitsu didn't belong here. He didn't care about anything. He didn't care about Nana, didn't care about his son; his job – whatever it was – was the proof of it. Always gone, never at home, he didn't have the right to come back.

But here he was, smiling like a fool, thinking that everyone would welcome him pleasingly. What an arrogant bastard.

Tsuna shook his head, averting his thoughts to brainstorming some ideas as to how to get Enma home "normally". He walked, pondering, but he kept getting distracted. His thoughts continuously wandered away to his father. Once he mulled and ranted off his hatred, the ghost was linked to him immediately afterwards. His new neighbor was getting more mysterious by the minute, and the brunet couldn't stand to keep his curiosity in any longer.

Iemitsu had somehow recognized him. Maybe not by face but Tsuna saw the realization hit him when the ghost's name was stated, and it didn't look very happy. The way how his father had reacted, it bothered him. Typically, Iemitsu never showed any signs of animosity or aversion, and it slightly scared the brunet how he did. And it scared him even more when the disapproval was directed at the ghost.

Now what was his name again? Hibari…Hibari Kyouta? No, Kyouya. Right, Hibari Kyouya was his ghost, and Tsuna was strangely relieved by the fact that he finally knew what his name was. It just made him seem more human. How he was so viciously powerful, how he was so sickly pale (was there something wrong with him?), and how he was so _unreal_ – a name made him feel more human. Especially how Tsuna had absolutely no idea that he was following him when he left the Namimori school building. He seriously was like a ghost. Undetectable, never making a sound; Tsuna couldn't keep up with him – whether he was in front or behind.

Besides the fact that he was honestly quite terrified of him, Tsuna was actually really interested in getting to know this Hibari Kyouya. After all, he was potentially going to be his first sincere friend. Just the thought of it made his excitement build exponentially. And it made the brunet giddy as he recalled how Hibari had followed him. _Followed _him! Like he was truly interested.

He smiled to himself as he bypassed the school gates for the third time that day, but it quickly fell when just the front yard itself reminded him of Mochida, Enma's current condition, and the bothersome concern of what to say when he got home. He whimpered and began to quicken his pace a bit as he neared the doors.

The hallways were empty when he entered. Students were back attending their classes after the lunch break, and the brunet was glad that he was alone by himself. This way, he didn't have to deal with the sardonic sneers of his classmates or the nasty whispers he had to endure every day. His mind faintly drifted to the concept of home school, just a fleeting thought, but really, it would be nice to get away. _Awfully _nice.

His slim legs trotted up the stairs as he drew closer to the nurse's office, palm brushing against the railing, hurrying. He wanted to get this over with, this whole thing. He hoped that the next day he would have no worries; just the burden of his vast excitement and anxiety of properly meeting with Hibari Kyouya. Maybe a day that he could call perfect. Making his first friend.

"Someone interrupted to the extreme?"

Tsuna stopped in his tracks. He was a step away from the nurse's office, and someone was shouting inside. He knew it wasn't a moral thing to do, but he couldn't help but to stay outside and listen.

"Sasagawa, keep your voice down!" came a harsh and aggravated whisper. "So Enma, what were you saying?"

Tsuna leaned in closer to the doorframe, snooping. _Enma's friends. _He felt a pang of jealousy but triumph at the same time. Tomorrow, he was going to have what Enma was having.

"I don't know much more. I just knew we were interrupted. Mochida...well, he came on to me first, so I don't exactly know..."

"And?"

"Uhm, I think I fell unconscious -"

"You _think_?" was a snarl.

"Sorry, I did! I fell unconscious, and the next thing I know, I'm here!"

There was a groan. "So you didn't even see who it was?"

"No…"

"What about your brother? Is there a possibility that he would know who did it?"

"Tsuna?" the brunet perked at his name. "Yeah, I suppose he would."

"Then go ask him, to the extreme!"

A slight pause. "Okay. Hopefully he saw him. Actually, good chances are that he did. He didn't fall unconscious and end up in the nurse's office after all."

"But dammit, Enma! I can't believe someone interrupted. It was such a good chance to figure out what he had. Are you _sure_ that your father doesn't know?"

"It's not like he doesn't know. He just doesn't know that _I _know...about everything. I can't go up to him and ask. He would send for the Arcobaleno to take me away."

Suddenly, they all froze. Tsuna had come into their view. Panic swept across their faces, but they were all swiftly filtered away as if it they were trained by the military. A tall teenage girl was standing at the head of Enma's cot, and the brunet found it hard to think of her to be around the same age as he was. He remembered seeing her before, but he never got the nerve to ask her for her name since she looked so intimidating. Her eyes were red like Enma's, maybe of a darker shade, and her long, lush hair was pulled back away from her striking face in a high ponytail. Her uniform could barely cover her chest, and Tsuna blushed and turned away when he noticed.

On the other side was a musty, gray-haired boy of sturdy stature. He had his arms crossed, and his hands were bandaged up to his knuckles. There was a small scar running along the left side of his forehead. His skin was exceptionally tanned, representing him as a person who normally spent his days outside. He wasn't as intimidating as the girl, but Tsuna could tell that he was definitely strong.

They were the reason why Tsuna refused to near his brother during school. It didn't matter if it was Enma, but his friends - how they stood, walked, and held themselves so confidently and boldly - shook the roots of his nerves and scared him. It was also the reason why he had lied about how he spent his lunch breaks or continued being alone. Enma had friends, and the brunet couldn't burden him with his Dame-Tsuna antics.

It was quite evident that they weren't pleased to see him there. The girl had the most trouble veiling her dissatisfaction; eyes not accepting, tinted with a sense of disgust that Tsuna wanted to shy away from. The athlete only looked disturbed like the brunet's presence was too complicated to fathom, and he quietly sniffed, glancing around the room.

However, it was Enma who bothered Tsuna the most. He felt oddly betrayed but couldn't explain why. Enma was with _them _– the opposing side. No, the brunet did not regard the three as enemies, but at that moment in time, his brother didn't feel like his brother. He, too, held that confidence and boldness through his impenetrable posture that Tsuna had constantly run away from. The redhead was gazing at him, and his expression was firm, calculating, and closed-off as if he was deciding what the best way to dissect Tsuna's corpse was.

It was unnerving

"Adel-san," Enma called, his hard and disheartening attention still fixed upon Tsuna, "thanks for visiting me. You, too Sasagawa-san, thank you. But can I talk to my brother?"

"Help yourself," the girl repositioned, making the move to leave. "Come on, Sasagawa, time to go."

"Right – to the extreme," the other grunted, following.

Soon after, they left, but the girl made sure to send the brunet an angry look before she disappeared.

And Tsuna was angry, too. Although he couldn't place why, he just did. What was this? He felt completely lost! They were talking behind his back, and Enma seemed like a different person. What did they mean by "interrupted"? Who interrupted? The ghost? Hibari Kyouya? Did they need him for something? He was the only plausible person that Tsuna could think of. He did, after all, "interrupt" Mochida. And what was the Arcobaleno? Why would it take Enma away? Why would _Iemitsu _make it so that Enma would be taken away? He was so confused!

"Onii-san? Are you okay?"

"What?" the brunet tried to focus, but the questions were burning inside him. What was Enma talking about now?

"Um...from Mochida. Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Tsuna came forward, keeping his eyes upon Enma as he neared him. He was back to being his "brother" now. The cold stare was replaced with the usual caring and compassionate one. The ceaseless, abrupt changes were irking him.

Enma was sitting up straight, sheets pooled over his legs. A pad layered upon the bridge of his nose, and the blood that had covered him so heavily before was now cleaned and gone. He was breathing fine, no labor, and it didn't seem like he was in any pain. Did Tsuna exaggerate his injuries? No, he was so certain of it. He was so certain of the blood that had spilled, so certain of his bruises and cuts...

"So you didn't get hurt?" the redhead asked, involuntarily leaning forward.

Tsuna slowly shook his head and gestured at his abdomen area. "Some bruises, not much. What about you? Mochida beat you up pretty bad..."

"I'm okay. They just got my arms and my legs," he demonstrated by showing the small injuries along his forearms. "After getting bullied so often, you eventually know how to deal with it."

"But you fell unconscious..." Tsuna said, his implication being that it didn't seem right to pass out from just a few scratches.

"Oh, probably a head thing. I'm sure someone kicked at it."

Enma couldn't fool him; it didn't take much for Tsuna to tell that he was spouting off lies. He could pin out the hesitation in his voice, no matter how subtle they were; Enma was hiding something.

"So how did you drag me up here?" the redhead casually asked as he picked at his sheets.

Here it was. He was beating around the bush, but after eavesdropping, Tsuna knew that Enma was trying to make him say who "interrupted". Whoever brought him to the nurse's office was sure to be the one who did so. In Tsuna's case, his choice of words would be who _saved _him. It made him annoyed, quite honestly, to hear that coming from his brother, and Tsuna was beginning to form a new bias as he struggled for the right response.

"The gym teacher was patrolling around," Tsuna's face was impassive, "He caught Mochida and brought you up here."

There was a flash of disappointment in Enma's eyes, but it left quickly. "Oh. Do you think he'll be suspended?"

"Maybe."

Enma grinned. "I wish. Then we'll have a break from him."

Tsuna failed to imitate his smile. His made-up story was already something that wasn't plausible. If the gym teacher actually did catch Mochida acting upon violence - it wasn't a maybe - it was highly likely for him to get suspended. And only a few sentences from his loud mouth would enable anyone to figure out that the scene of getting caught never existed.

But the brunet couldn't say much else, so he half-heartedly agreed with his brother and said, "Yeah, I hope so, too."

* * *

Tsuna's mood worsened when he saw who was sitting at the family's kitchen table.

Enma, who was right beside him with no limps or aches, sucked in his breath out of surprise when he turned the corner.

Loud and obnoxious, carefree and laughing, feet upon the table with dirt mucked along his ripped jeans and T-shirt, was Sawada Iemitsu - disrespectful as always.

The brunet didn't manage to tell Enma that their father had come home. He was too confused and frustrated to, and now the redhead was muffled by shock as he basked the older man's presence. It was for certain that Tsuna disliked his father very much, but Enma had always regarded him with neutral feelings. He didn't particularly like him either; however, he was far from hating him - mostly because he had only seen Iemitsu once in his life.

"Heeeey, the boys are back home!" Iemitsu exclaimed when he noticed them, but then gave a puzzled stare. "Did you guys roll around in the mud or something?"

The two of them both glanced down at themselves, eyeing at their soiled clothes that the older man was pointing out.

"Uhm - " Enma began, but Tsuna quickly cut him off.

"We tripped. The field was slippery since it was raining last night."

Iemitsu glimpsed towards the kitchen window, observing a bright sun; then he shrugged. "Well, I suggest that you guys hurry along and change, or else Nana will freak."

Tsuna complied but felt disgusted in the fact how Iemitsu's own outfit was hypocritically dirty. There were earthy stains over his white shirt and pants, and his aging hair was disheveled. His face had scratches upon it, and strangely, they looked fresh. Tsuna was sure all that mess wasn't there the first time he met him at the park...

And he wondered, did his father talk to the ghost after he had left?

But Tsuna didn't get the chance to dwell too much upon it, because Enma was pushing him to go up the stairs.

"Why didn't you tell me that he was back?" the redhead whispered with an urgent end to it when they shut the door to their bedroom. They shared one since their family was so big, while the size of the house was disproportional to it.

Tsuna frowned. "How did you know that I knew he was back?"

Enma gave him an incredulous look as if noting how stupid he was being. "Well, I was definitely much more surprised than you were when we saw him in the kitchen. Besides, I just _know _you. You're my brother."

_And that explains everything? _Tsuna thought, bewildered. His memory flashed to the moment when the redhead had gazed at him with appraising eyes during their time at the nurse's office. Did those unnerving eyes really know him?

"So why didn't you tell me he was back?" Enma asked again, his unexpected impatience showing.

"I forgot."

"You forgot that _Dad_ was back home?" There - he was doing it again. Implying that he was stupid. Tsuna was used to it, of course, but his brother wouldn't did something like this.

Tsuna threw his arms up in the air. "_You_ were more important, Enma. _Nana _was more important, too. I was worried! If she saw you with all that blood, how do you think she would react? Did you forget our promise?"

Enma ran a hand through his hair and gritted his teeth. The brunet's frown deepened at this. He had _never _seen him do that before. Enma was always calm, timid, and hesitant when there was no support behind him. He was acting strange and awfully out of character.

"Besides, Dad coming home never bothered you, anyway. What's wrong now?"

He turned, red eyes in turmoil for some unknown reason. "Forget it, Tsuna, it's none of your business."

Stunned. Tsuna was absolutely stunned in place. Two things: first - Enma had called him by his name. Sure, it wasn't unusual when it came to siblings of the same age, but it had been very well grounded that ever since he met him, Enma would acknowledge and label Tsuna as his "Onii-san". He had caught him before - just an hour ago, actually - saying his name in the nurse's office when he was eavesdropping. But Enma had been with his friends during that time, so it didn't become something to think about. The other stunning factor was his dismissive attitude. Enma was a growing teenager. Tsuna fully understood that; he was one as well. Rebellious and insolent natures were situations that the brunet knew people around had to work with. But no one ever had problems with Enma, which was why he was so loved by teachers yet so easily picked on. Smart ass phrases or words that were even remotely close to it were alien to the redhead's mouth.

So what was he doing now?

He was impatient; his eyes were wandering, fingers twitching, as he began to pace. He was frustrated; his hands abnormally still running through his hair, while he incoherently muttered to himself. He was nervous; his attention fluttering towards the window and towards the door, and he unknowingly kept rubbing at the base of his neck.

However, the intangible feeling of confidence and boldness was streaming from him once again, contradicting with his obviously disconcerted demeanor, and Tsuna did not understand how it was possible.

"I'm going to change," Tsuna suddenly announced as if believing a few words would bring him back to normal.

It didn't. Enma kept pacing, and the brunet tried to ignore him as he made move to his dresser. He picked out some fresh clothes, but it served as a severely poor distraction to keep Enma's odd behavior from bothering him.

Why was he being like this? Because of Iemitsu?

Tsuna saw him rubbing at his neck again.

Nothing was making sense.

Heck, this _whole day _made no sense.

He began ticking them off: someone actually saved him today, someone wanted to be his friend, Father was back home, and Enma was not only perfectly fine from a ferocious beating, but also acting completely unlike himself.

Tsuna removed his old clothes and began putting on new ones. He was pulling his head through his shirt's opening when he heard a scramble of frenzied body movements. Now maneuvering his arms to their appropriate places, he glanced behind him and watched the redhead rushing to take his uniform off. In record time, Enma had himself substituted into a plain shirt and jeans. Then he went for the door.

"I'm heading out," he informed without looking back or a proper explanation.

"What? Where are you going?" Tsuna called out and dashed forward to see him at already at the stairs. "Enma!"

"Tell Mom that I had to do something after school," was his only reply, and a few seconds later, Tsuna heard the house's front door slam shut.

* * *

A silver-haired Namimori student apprehensively fingered the accessories along his knuckles. His muscles were tense, and he had to refrain from biting off his already nonexistent nails. He kept telling himself that he needed to pull things together. People couldn't see him like this. Not when he was trembling and trying to deny himself from fear. Rather, his _Family_ couldn't see him like this. Not when he was their leader, and the one they looked up to.

He breathed in, trying to calm himself down as his body turned to face the vacant seats in the classroom. Shaking fingers brushed along the top of a front row desk as he shuffled his feet against the tiled floor.

_You can do this. You can do this_, he chanted continuously in his head, and squeezed his eyes shut for a minuscule moment.

"Gokudera?"

He jumped at his name and spun around. His normally stern and austere emerald eyes were now wide and glistening – nervous. The person who just came in was quite shocked to see him so distressed and actually faltered in moving closer.

"I heard that you called for an emergency meeting later this evening. What's wrong?"

The silver-haired teenager masked his anxiety in a snap. He couldn't let it show, and he especially couldn't let it show to this guy - this Yamamoto Takeshi - who was standing near the classroom entrance.

"Well, you heard right, baseball idiot," he said, using his sarcasm to cover the dread in his voice. "We have a team leader in town. Isn't that exciting?"

The other's mouth fell open, and he stumbled. "Huh?"

"A team leader, idiot."

"B-but…but –" came a sputter.

"But nothing," Gokudera Hayato stated as he stared at the rings upon his left hand. "We can't waste any time. We need to be prepared."

Yamamoto Takeshi had a worried look on his face. "Who are we fighting?"

"Sawada Enma's father. I was notified by Suzuki Adelheid just a few minutes ago that Enma had come sprinting over to say that his father had come back home."

"Since when did Enma say that his father was a team leader?"

Gokudera paused and looked back down at the desk beside his right thigh. He traced the wooden patterns upon the surface. "...Never. He just assumed he was. A few years ago when I found him, the first thing Enma said to me was that his father worked for the Arcobaleno. He told me he believed that his father was a team leader, because he was housing five potential flame users."

"_Five?_ How come you've never told me this before?"

"Because most of them are useless. Three of them are too young, and we have Enma. The last is that Tsuna-whatever - the one Adel tried to figure out what flame he had today."

"Didn't Suzuki-san request for Sasagawa's Sun flame because she messed up?" Yamamoto fully allowed himself to enter the room now and walked towards the desk that Gokudera was standing next to.

"Yeah, something like that," Gokudera shrugged as he instinctively backed away. Becoming too comfortable around him was not a good idea. Family leaders couldn't risk...distractions. "I wasn't too interested, anyway. It's not like Enma's brother would have been any help to us."

There was a small span of silence.

Yamamoto stared down at the shorter teen who was barely looking at him in the eye. "Gokudera...do you think we can win?"

Terse pink lips tightened into a firm line as emerald eyes flashed to a mindless direction that parted ways from the "baseball idiot". His detached and solitary stare, once again, fell upon the empty desks, and his hands formed into fists.

"Of course we can, baseball idiot," Gokudera's voice wavered by the slightest bit, and he so dearly hoped that his underlying uncertainty couldn't be noticed. "Do we, Vongola, have any other option than to not?

* * *

Tsuna heard the front door of the house open again thirty minutes later after Enma had left.

He hastened to get out of his bedroom to confront his brother. Now that he had brooded quietly to himself for some time, the frustration and anger which were produced by self-interpreted betrayal had died down some, and he was more than ready to receive some answers from the contrary redhead, regardless of how closed-off he was going to be.

Tsuna had realized that he wasn't being fair, and he also realized that he was actually a lot more alone than he originally thought he was.

Enma was the only person Tsuna ever really talked to. Essentially, his only friend. It was plain from the very start that Enma had others to care for rather than just his brother, so his care was doled out to those around him, while Tsuna wholeheartedly gave his to only one person. The brunet had never noticed how much it was like a competition to keep Enma close. The bond they had as siblings was a bond Tsuna took for granted, which was something he only pinned out a few minutes ago. It was his fault for being so deluded by how the redhead stood by his side every day, leaving the brunet no time to consider how generous his company was. Tsuna had been unconsciously holding Enma by a leash, afraid to let him go or otherwise, he would never come back.

No wonder he felt betrayed. Enma had run off, disregarded him, and lied to him for reasons Tsuna did not know. But how much did those reasons matter? How Enma worked his life was actually a mystery and not something he knew. Enma had friends, but Tsuna never experienced what it was like to be around Enma when he was with his friends. Was he like the way he was around him? Or was he like the way he was at the nurse's office or the time before he left the house thirty minutes ago? Was he timid and hesitant, or was he coldly composed and almost regal-like?

So, really, Tsuna was alone. Terribly and awfully alone. Enma had been his anchor, and it didn't matter if he was his younger brother. Tsuna had thought he _knew _him, but that was no longer true. It was a relationship of consolation, stress relief, and secrets, but how much of it was the actual thing?

Therefore, Tsuna wanted some answers.

But he was quite disappointed when he reached the bottom of the stairs, because it wasn't Enma who had opened the door; it was Nana.

He should have known. Why else would there be toddler shrieks and constant protesting tones from the kitchen? Nana had just come back from picking up the kids from school.

"Lambo, give that back!"

"Gyupahaha! Only if you can catch the amazing me!"

There was a pitter-patter of padded footsteps as Tsuna heard running feet. Of course, Lambo and I-pin were chasing each other again.

"Oh...what am I going to do with those two? Fuuta-kun, could you grab the - Oh, my goodness, Iemitsu! What happened to your face?"

The brunet came into the kitchen, observing the scene before him while he was not yet noticed.

Fuuta, the third youngest adopted child of the Sawada family, had his back faced to him as he sat on one of the kitchen table chairs; however, he was the closest, with only a few feet to spare between them. He, too, was watching the two adults with great interest, and since he made no noise, Tsuna transiently wondered if Fuuta even knew that the man in their own little kitchen was their father. Fuuta had always been quiet around strangers, and Fuuta was certainly quiet right now.

Further into the kitchen, Nana was characteristically fussing over the small scratches upon Iemitsu's tanned skin that Tsuna had spotted earlier, and characteristically, he tried to brush it off.

The brunet's brows furrowed as he made an excess amount of effort to recall whether the scrapes had been there before or after he met his father at the local park. He knew that he had already presumed it was after, but Tsuna couldn't come up with a reason why he would have gotten himself hurt.

"It's okay, it's okay," he kept attempting to assure his wife, but it was futile. He was dealing with Nana after all, and Nana stubbornly fussed and worried about everything.

As he turned to wave her off, Iemitsu caught sight of Tsuna, and a flash of relief passed as he abruptly stood up. "Tsuna! Do you know where Enma went?"

He was using the brunet to distract Nana from his injuries.

"...He said that he needed to go back to school to do something."

At the sound of his voice, Fuuta swiveled in his chair to greet his oldest brother, and he gave him a bright smile of adoration. Tsuna returned with one his own but acknowledged Iemitsu with a meager glimpse. Nana also greeted her son with a smile, but before she could say anything, the phone rang.

Nana pouted for a moment, and as she headed to receive the call, she made sure to scold Iemitsu with an "I'm not done with you yet!"

Fuuta got out of his seat once Nana left the kitchen and skipped over to Tsuna. He looked up as he hugged the brunet's legs and stood on his tiptoes. Tsuna instinctively bent down, and Fuuta whispered a question into his ear.

"Is he my...dad?"

Tsuna grimaced. He was right. Fuuta had no idea who Iemitsu was. The last time he visited was around five years ago, and Fuuta was only three at the time. Three was too young to remember much. He then thought of Lambo and I-pin, who had not seen Iemitsu since Enma was taken in by their family (them having been only seven months old), and if Tsuna recalled correctly, the only time his father ever really visited was when there was an adoption going on. He wondered what kind of special occasion it was today for Iemitsu to think that family was more important than work. Was it another adoption?

"Yeah, he's my dad, too," Tsuna whispered back as a confirmation, his tone almost reluctant to admit it. "...Why don't you go say hi to him?"

Tsuna hated him, yes, but he knew he wasn't in the position to push that hatred onto Fuuta to feel. He was willing to let him come up with his own impression - whatever it would be - and try to understand it whether the opinion agreed with his own or not.

Fuuta took an edgy glance at the burly man, who was just absently smiling like the fool his was. Hesitantly, Fuuta released his older brother from his hold and inched towards his father.

"Uhm, hi. Dad?"

Iemitsu, sightly startled, looked down and lopsidedly grinned. "Hey, you're Fuuto, right?"

Tsuna wanted to face-palm. _At least know your own son't name - adopted or not!_

"Uh, no, sir," Fuuta replied, immediately switching to polite speech, "it's Fuuta."

"Oh, my bad, my bad!" he chuckled as he scratched at the back of his head. "At least you got my name right. I'm your daddy."

The brunet inwardly groaned. He didn't even want to see how the introductions would go with Lambo and I-pin (they were probably playing outside right now). Fuuta looked so disappointed. Tsuna was about to go over and silently comfort him, but Nana came back in the kitchen with an expression of dismay upon her face.

Three Sawada family members looked at her, questioning.

"Enma can't come home today," she began theatrically, while Tsuna frowned at this. "I told him that I wanted to have a nice family dinner to welcome back his dad, but he has a big group project due tomorrow. He'll be staying over at his friend's house." She pouted again and looked at Iemitsu who was still smiling. "Dear, are you okay with that?

"Yeah, it's okay."

Of course it was okay. He didn't care, that's why. But wait - Tsuna's eyes narrowed - there wasn't a project due tomorrow. Although Enma was in a different class than he was, the whole grade went through the curriculum by the same pace. And Tsuna sure wasn't working his butt off for a group project. Lying to Nana...what was he up to?

However, his thoughts were abruptly broken through when a foreign weight crashed upon his shoulders, nearly making his knees buckle. Iemitsu was heavily leaning on him.

"Why don't we go to the gym while Nana makes dinner, Tsuna?" his father eagerly suggested as he forcibly steered him out of the kitchen. "After all these years not seeing you, I'm expecting a hundred twenty pound lifts!"

Tsuna blanched.

_Eeeeiii, no way!_

* * *

Hibari Kyouya retched up thick bile as he bent over a public restroom toilet.

A sign was posted outside that he wasn't allowed to use it if he wasn't buying anything from the fast food restaurant, but who was going to stop him?

He gritted his teeth when he felt the nausea wash over him once again, but he forced himself to keep whatever that was in him down. Stumbling, he went over to the sink, turning it on for water and meticulously washed out his mouth. He gripped the edges of the sink with whitened hands, and he glared at the cracked mirror.

Blood.

Not too much, but there was blood.

Crimson contrasted so greatly with his sick, pale skin that he would be no longer surprised if someone called him a ghost. He was almost revolting.

He growled and glared at his reflection one last time before he turned off the sink and heatedly left.

Sawada Iemitsu...he was going to pay. He was going to pay for making him like this, and he was definitely going to get _bitten to death_.

* * *

Again, I'm really sorry about the really late update. I want to say that I will guarantee a faster update for the next chapter, but I'm afraid to say so. School starts in a few days once again, and I have no idea what my schedule is going to be like. ):

Notes:

So here's the timeline of the Sawada family -

Tsuna was born 16 years ago. Fuuta was the first adopted child, Tsuna being eight at the time. Then Lambo and I-pin (2 months old) were both adopted at the same time three years after Fuuta was adopted. Five months later, Enma was adopted, but he was already 11.

The "late-bloomers" (yes, you may confirm your assumptions that Gokudera and Yamamoto are late-bloomers) call themselves, as hinted before, Vongola. So I guess you could say its Vongola vs. Arcobaleno. From this chapter, realization hits that Enma knows about the flame he has, and he got recruited by Gokudera before the Arcobaleno found out. He also knows that his father works for the Arcobaleno (but doesn't know what rank/role he places in the organization), so when he comes back home, he's terrified because he believes that Iemitsu is there to take him to the Arcolabeno and enslave him, because he finally found out about his released flame. Or possibly, he is there to enslave Vongola that is present in Namimori. So he warns Vonogla of a possible "attack", and now they are preparing to sent up defenses and the whatnot.

(reviews are appreciated :))


End file.
